fr —
/
4 'm
I
I
Proje
Edit
View
Text
Graphics
Tools
LIS
War
CRISIS!
Commodore Electronics
have gone into liquidation.
"Business as usual,"
insist Commodore UK
- but for how long? What
happens to the Amiga
now? What about your
after-sales support? And
just who is the mysterious
investor rumoured to be
ready for a buy-out?
WHAT
MEANS
ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994 • £2.50
T
1 •
TTTT
I
I
i
i
• r i
i
Uar
Uop
Choose your
word processor
wisely
definitive comparison
packag"
review
out which
ght for you
Draw
Choos
are
Cane
• i •
>■•.•«-■•• *
f * -*"■ i * • '
t ■
Vt *i
• mil
i
i
t J '
I
I
I
uiure
P V BUSHING
Your guarantee
of value
770961
730056
32-bit Acorn home computers uommoaore Amiga
idivi ku /compaimies
ft.
The tOocct
fO Series
Try it
Rapidly becoming Britain's favourite choice in educational software wREEJg
. -J^^it=
Maths (Algebra) Junior Essentials
Dinosaurs
For children 6 to 16 years
TMt BEST
EDUCATIONAL
GAME
Of >993
10*a*i W Maths (Algebra) meets
all me cntena for an
outstanding educational
program and fully
deserves first place as th
Edutainment Program of
the vear Ten out of Ten for it'"
- Amiga User international (January '94
'This pack is very good If is well
smted to ooth home and school use
n encourages good shifts like searc
ing for patterns and estimating Also
it's Available on approval, so what
are you watting for?"
- -*i (»n Gompuiing (Decemoet 931
For children 5 to 11 years
A truly flexible package covenng many
topics essential for building a good
educational foundation The areas
covered have been carefully chosen by
a team of experts and come from
several subjects and levels of the
National Curriculum
The child's progress m these areas
is constantly monitored and recorded
and parents of teachers can easily
discover where a chrfd needs help.
As with all the 10 mt ■/ to senes.
further motivation to play the
games and learn more is added
in the form of High Score Tables.
For all ages
Maths (Number)
For children 6 to 16 years
"Wel thought out to offer real benefits
lo d»*ufen studying m Bm«h school *
- PC Plus lJuty 931
"Educabonalry worthwhile and exciting
to play - a rare combination "
- Archimeaea World (December 9SI
"Unique in home-based programs be
cause of the National Curriculum link
I M<a o User iSeptemDei 93)
'Excellent for reinforcing specific
mathematics knowiedge '
- Jvnor Educate iJun, 93)
The 10 mi v 10 Senes lives up to
its name." - pc Home lAu&rst w>
Early Essentials
For children under 7 years
"Outstanding Ail of ihe activities are
not only very enjoyable but they're wel
thought through It s one of the best
multfpurpose infant packages I've seen
m a long while. II you have young kids
get it for the home. If you're a teacher,
hammer on the headteacher's door
and beg for money to buy a copy "
- ArcheneOn VVWW ( July 931
"At just £2595 you'll be hard pressed
to find anything wn>ch even comes
close to Early Essentials.*
- Men Compute* Man iSopt 931
This package is the fun way to learn
the facts about dinosaurs The six
games ail have superb digitised
graphics to make a whole area of
history - dinosaurs - come alive.
If you came face to lace with a
tyrannosaurus would you run away 9
Or are you safe because it's a
vegetarian and wouldn't eat you'
This, together with 100s of other
interesting facts, can be discovered
from this enthralling package
The Six games - all with single
and mulli-piayer options - are
educational fun lor everyone.
English
For children 6 to 16 years
"Everytn*ng oe--g ac^e s r etevant to
e player s education Anmvaiuabie
Mi :j»um experience plenty of tun.
lots of variety '
- PC Home iNovemoe' 93)
"Guaranteed to sustain the attention
of even reluctant learners*
RISC User {January Feonjary 931
"Most importantly, as the games are
tun children cant help but learn ■
- Acorn Computing tWa'C* 93t
'Allows progression from Junor
school age ngnt up to GCSE levei
- Amiga User international iSep!
...
W
Maths (Statistics) 11
French 13
Driving Test
For children 6 to 16 years
Attainment Target 5 of the National
Curriculum is Data Handling - a vital
area of Mathematics I0»et*{ 10
Maths (Statistics) covers 36 specific
topics from mat subject.
In this package, recording animal
sightings m an animated pond or
rolling dice are just two of the many
challenges that children wilt relish
as they learn about statistics And
can graph drawing be a game' It
becomes arcade action as bricks
and bombs are dropped onto the
charts This s a realty enjoyable
way to loam about statistics
For children 6 to 16 years
This suite of six educational games will
give fun and motivation to all children
learning French The package <s
designed with the Modem Languages
National Curriculum firmly in mind and
contains many challenges to reinforce
facts stated in Attainment Targets 3
and 4.
t0»«t*j 10 French is essential for
children on Key stages 3 and 4, but
the numerous parent and teacher
customisation options make the
software suitable tor all children -
however young - who are learning
the French language
For all drivers and learners
Whether you're a novice learner or
an advanced expert, there's plenty
you can learn from this package
There are thousands of bwit-n
questions and you can choose
whether you want to answer mem
directly or add to the fun by try
them within games
The six games have been designed
to be fun for all adults and include
strategy mental agility, coordination
and more And. if you think you are
up to it you can 'take the test ' - a
challenge covering many areas o'
me Owing Test
The INNOVATIVE 10 *«t of 10 Series
These highly acclaimed suites of programs are a revolutionary step forward J n
educational software. They ALL use a unique system of automatically
recording children's progress as they play and learn. This is just one of
the many features which sets the 10 <%*a 9*} 10 Series in a class of its own.
Each package contains SIX expert! \ designed educational games covering TEN
essential areas of j child's education. All packages cover a wide age range and
subjects arc available for all children from three to sixteen years of age.
As children learn from the games their progress is automatical!) recorded in 36
specific challenges - the National Curriculum Attainment Targets of these ureas 'ar
optionally displayed on screen in subject-based packages. All the programs are designed in
Britain to be fun for single players or groups and the assessment system can monitor the
progress of up to 4<MH) children with no input from parent or teacher needed. Watch them,
join in the fun or leave them and return later to check their progress You're in control!
A CHANCE TO EARN MONEY
You can KARN MONEY by recommending fOoutoj 10
- over t'5 for ever) order you generate. Ring 0742 780370
and ask about the 10 <xa *f 10 Agency scheme now!
Phone 0742 780370 for a FREE TRIAL!
We are so confident you'll like to ■>.,,•* y 10 software that we'll let you try it FREE.
Ask for a free trial' and we will not bank any payment until you've had chance
to test the programs yourself.
DEMONSTRATION VERSIONS are also available - each subject is on a separate
disk. They cost £1 each. This will be refunded when you order the full version.
HOW TO ORDER ...
The 10 ~* y 10 Series is available for Acorn 32-bit computers
(Archimedes), Commodore Amiga and IBM/PC and compatibles.
At the time of going to press, titles marked ° were not available
on all formats. Please ring for availability. Each package is ONLY
£25.95 and you can order by CREDIT CARD. CHEQUE or
EDUCATION AUTHORITY ORDER.
If you ask for a free trial' we will send you the software without
processing the payment. If you do not wish to keep the package,
return it to us within 14 days and we will return your ORIGINAL
cheque or order or not process your credit card for payment.
Order by Post or Phone from:
10 n«r n{ fO Educational Systems
1 Percy Street, Sheffield, S3 8AU
■n* 0742 780370 / 769950
Sile antl Network Licences ur<- available - please ring t<" details
rtw tree mat raj not be used in conjunction with an) other offer
The /Otuttffo Series is available from all good computer software suppliers
CONTENTS
3
ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
AMIGA ANSWERS
41
Get the very latest details on what's happening to
Commodore. Check out the news special on p4.
NEWS
4
Commodore International seek court protection;
Commodore Electronics undergo voluntary
liquidation; the Philippines factory closes down -
find out what all this means for you PLUS details
on forthcoming products; and news from the USA.
WP TIPS AND SECRETS 20
Mark Smiddy reveals how you can get the most
from your word or document processor.
AMIGA 4000T
We find out just how much power and expandability
you can expect from the new king of Amigas.
A1200 CD-ROM
We take the A1200-owners' ticket to the world
multimedia out for a spin.
ADI GCSE
Wilf Rees checks out the latest three packages in
the popular ADI educational range.
MUSIC-X 2.0
Tim Tucker sees if the latest version of this
sequencer will make a sound purchase.
INTERCHANGE PLUS
Gary Whiteley takes a look at the new version of
Syndesis' Interchange Plus 3D object converter.
ANIMATION WORKSHOP 3 1
Can Hanna Barbera's new Animation Workshop
really turn children into tomorrow's animators?
IMAGE MIRROR
R Shamms Mortier reviews the latest image
processing and animation program from the USA.
30
WINDOW SHOPPER
Graeme Sandiford takes a look at a book on
AmigaDOS 3; a battery-backed clock; and a dual
controller for an IDE hard disk and a CD-ROM drive
Find out how one of our readers was able to make
even more money using his Amiga after reading a
copy of Amiga Shopper*.
READER ADS
i
Used hardware and software bargains.
40
Our expert panel provides solutions to more of your
real-life Amiga problems.
INTERVIEW
This month our American correspondent, R
Shamms Mortier, talks to the people behind DCTV
and the hugely successful Brilliance paint package
- Digital Creations.
AMOS
Simon Green kicks off our revamped AMOS
programming column with a look at how you can
create your own fractal plasma demos.
VIDEO
60
Gary Whiteley takes you through creating subtitles,
captions and credit sequences in the second and
final part of his video titling tutorial.
BACK ISSUES
If you've missed out on the complete set of Amiga
Shoppers, don't do anything rash. Just turn to
these pages to order a back issue.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Don't miss out on your monthly dosage of hard
Amiga facts - subscribe!
COMMS
Dave Winder explains how you can gain remote
access to an FTP sight and get a whole load of
Amiga software for free.
AMIGADOS
TO
Mark Smiddy shows you how to fine tune your
startup-sequence safely and make use of RAD to
speed up your boot process.
KNOW WHAT I MEAN? 76
Continuing our monthly opinion column, Dave
Winder and Wilf Rees give voice to their thoughts
on pornography and education.
Whoa! Retina-burning plasma effects can be
yours, courtesy of AMOS and Simon Green - p54.
C PROGRAMMING
Toby Simpson explains the importance of the list -
one of the fundamentals of the Amiga system.
USER GROUPS
80
Get in touch with Amiga users around the globe.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Graeme Sandiford checks out the latest low-cost
and no-cost serious software.
PRODUCT LOCATOR
Your guide to the best in Amiga hardware, software
and PD - complete with ratings and supplier info.
BUYING ADVICE
You'd be mad to make an Amiga purchase before
reading this vital advice.
COMPETITION
Don't miss out on your chance to win one of 14
copies of Softwood Products' fantastic Final Writer.
NEXT MONTH
98
Advance news on what we have in store for you in
next month's issue.
Which Amiga word processor
reigns supreme? We compare
every commercial package
along with the best from the
shareware scene. Find out
which offers the features you
need for the price you can
afford PLUS top tips on getting
the very best results from you
current word processor.
AMIGA SHOPPER v ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
4 NEWS
Cliff Ramshaw ponders over this
month's Amiga events,..
We're about to witness the
most significant stage of
the Amiga's history since its
launch. As you can see from the
story to the right, Commodore
themselves are about to undergo
a huge change.
The staff at Commodore UK,
though, remain optimistic. This
optimism isn't really that
remarKable, though - they know
that the Amiga is going to survive.
There seem to be buyers aplenty
interested in Commodore and the
Amiga, with one in particular on the
verge of making an offer. I think
we'll be seeing the manufacture of
Amigas for some time to come yet.
What people also seem to
forget is that there's already a
massive Amiga user-base. Even if
not one more Amiga ever saw the
light of day. there's still a
substantial market for the third
party developers who've made the
Amiga so successful with their
amazing peripherals and programs.
In other words, we can expect to
see a steady stream of new
products coming along to enhance
the power of our machines even
further, no matter what happens.
Plenty of people, including ex-
employees, have been taking the
opportunity to criticise the top
management of Commodore
International. Let's face it. they
have made a few howlers in the
past. Certainly they've failed to
adequately market their products,
especially in the serious sector.
When was the last time you saw an
advert for an A4000? And why is
the thing so expensive compared
to rival Mac and PC platforms.
I hope that we'll see a buyer
emerge for Commodore who's
prepared to put the money In for a
truly radical research and
development program - Amiga
technology needs to take another,
dramatic step forward to survive in
the serious marketplace - and for
a strong marketing campaign.
Fingers crossed...
CONFUSION AS
COMMODORE FILES
PROTECTION
Commodore International have sought protection
with the courts; Commodore Electronics have been
liquidated. It's a worrying time for Amiga owners.*
Commodore are in trouble. You may have already
heard that they've gone bust - it's not true, but
with one of their subsidiaries, Commodore
Electronics Ltd, already In voluntary liquidation and the
holding company Commodore International under
protection by the Bahamian Courts, things ain't what
they used to be.
Commodore International have been taken under the
wing of the Bahamian equivalent of Chapter 11. This puts
them in the hands of trustees, whose job it is to bring in
as much revenue as possible for the company's creditors
and shareholders. It also prevents creditors from pressing
for repayment of debts. The move leaves the way clear for
companies who may be interested in buying out the
corporation.
Most of the European subsidiaries, including
Commodore UK, are trading as normal - Commodore UK
has released a terse press release to this effect - but the
situation is a temporary one. A buyer is expected to be
announced by the time you read this.
The news follows a period of heavy
financial losses on the part of the
company (see box-out for
details). Many industry
insiders have been
expecting something of
this sort to happen for
some time now.
Nevertheless,
Commodore has being
doing well in Europe,
with demand for their
products still high,
despite the Germany
economy being in
recession. It's the
parent Commodore
company that has simply
run out of cash.
To try and clear up
some of the confusion
surrounding the situation, we
spoke to David Pleasance. joint
managing director of Commodore
UK. He confirmed that several buyers
had expressed an interest, and that they
would be buying "current Amiga technology, future
Amiga technology and our distribution channels." So it
seems that no matter what the outcome, the Amiga itself
will continue.
Commodore's main factory, located in the Philippines,
is currently closed. Given this, we asked Pleasance how
long Commodore could continue supplying Amigas for
sale. "We have a pool of Amiga product in Europe," he
told us, "which all subsidiaries have access to. It will last
until September without any new manufacturing." This at
least means there's plenty of time for a deal to be struck
Commodore's financial
fortunes - the figures
Year
Net profit
1991
$57.4 million
1992
$27.6m
1993
-$356. 5m
Financial years end on 30 June. Since 1991
Commodore International have seen a decline. As
reported last month, Commodore lost a further $9. 7m
and $8. 2m in the first two quarters of the current year.
before falling sales cause further financial problems.
One of the questions foremost in the minds of
current Amiga owners is: What about my on-site
warranty? Pleasance told us, "Every product sold
has been warranted by ICL, so there is nothing to
worry about. There's no fear anybody need have
about that." Amiga Shopper understands this
also applies to any Amigas sold in the future.
Understandably, news of the liquidation and
court protection
has caused
considerable
concern among
the Amiga
community, particularly
those who have access
to bulletin boards, where
unsubstantiated
rumours have been
rife (to find out
what Amiga
developers and
distributors have
to say, see the panel on the next page). A
number of companies have been put forward as
potential buyers, including Amstrad. Samsung,
Sony, Hewlett-Packard and Philips.
Understandably, Pleasance is unwilling to
comment on the identity of the real buyers.
Amstrad have publicly expressed an interest.
Asked if they could be discounted from the running.
Pleasance replied that. "There are more interested parties
than Amstrad."
The most persistent rumour, allegedly from a verbal
remark made by a Commodore Germany spokesperson,
suggests that the most interested party is an "Asian
investor". When asked if the company was indeed Asian,
Pleasance responded, "Possibly."
Amiga Shopper has heard from a source close to the
company that the buyer is in fact Samsung. Pleasance
AMIGA SHOPPER # ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
NEWS 5
told us that alt of the details should be in place in "a
matter of a couple of weeks."
There are other potential buyers. Jim Drew of Utilities
Unlimited (makers of the Emplant
Mac emulation board) has been
trying to band Amiga developers
together in an effort to raise
enough cash to buy up the rights to
Amiga technology. In an
internationally distributed e-mail, he
stated his goals as: "[to] purchase
the rights from current ownership,
or work with another corporation to
see that continued development
and gasp advertising is done.
•[ToJ contact major Mac and PC
developers and PC developers
(Adobe. Aldus, etc.) and once again
offer to port their products to the
Amiga at little or no cost. Once
people see us running the big boys'
software more efficiently than other platforms can. they
will think hard before buying that next Mac or PC." He also
outlined his commitment to developer support and
development of new machines.
Hewlett-Packard, although they manufacture some
chips for Commodore and have ^mmmmmm
expressed an interest in CD32 for
a prototype interactive TV system,
seem unlikely contenders - their
computing interests lie in high-end
workstations much more powerful
and expensive than the Amiga.
Sony and Philips both have
their own competing technologies
too. Sony are developing their
PlayStation console, while Philips
of course have CD-i. Their buying up CD32 technology
Despite the worrying news, David Pleasance
retains his optimism: "It's almost Impossible
that the technology will die. "
"Amiga Shopper has
heard from a source close
to the company that the
buyer is in fact Samsung"
really wouldn't make sense.
Another alleged potential buyer comes as a complete
surprise - Giama, a company manufacturing slot
machines for gambling. They are
reportedly interested in Amiga
technology for the production of
home-based, on-line slot machines
with sophisticated computer
graphics. Again, this doesn't really
hold water - if the company were
considering such a move it could
simply license the technology from
Commodore in the way that
arcade game manufacturers have
already done.
Unfortunately, nothing for
certain is known about
Commodore's future. The only
people who do know aren't saying
anything at the moment.
Whatever, the end of the Amiga
seems extremely unlikely, as David Pleasance confirmed
when asked what all this means for our favourite machine.
"It will probably turn out to be the best thing that's
happened," he said. "The Amiga needs one hundred per
cent attention; now that we've divested ourselves of our
■HHHMii^ dallying in the PC market, the
future of the Amiga is stronger
than ever."
In closing, he told us, "It's
business as usual as far as we're
concerned. It's almost Impossible
that the technology will die,
though it may not be owned by
Commodore, of course."
We'll bring further details on
this, the most important stage in
the Amiga's history so far. next month.
THE VIEWS OF DEVELOPERS AND DISTRIBUTORS
"We feel that Commodore will pull
through the current crisis. As yet
we have not experienced any fall In
sales or had too many worried
customers. We feel that the Amiga
has plenty of life left in it and will
continue to support it for the
foreseeable future." - Mark
Blackham, Silica Systems
■I think the situation at the
moment is terrible, especially for
the end-user. Commodore are not
letting anybody know what the real
situation Is. We've had several
worried customers who are unsure
If Commodore and the Amiga have
a future. What's the point of
investing a lot of money in a new
hard disk If the machine is going to
become extinct? If Commodore
don't get their act together, we
might even consider concentrating
more on other computing
platforms." - Tony Inahri. Power
Computing
"This is a watershed for
Commodore - It Is potentially a
very attractive purchase. There are
plenty of interested parties out
there, and Commodore will
probably become a stronger
company as a result of their
current trials. We've had no
reports from any of our clients
about overly concerned customers.
"This Is normally a quiet time
of the year anyway - by spring
demand drops almost to a trickle.
This seasonally quiet period should
work in Commodore's favour; It will
allow them to restructure the
company without affecting sales a
great deal.
"It would be Inconceivable If a
powerful brand like the Amiga
would be allowed to die. We will
continue to support the Amiga
whole-heartedly. Its technology
alone is enough to ensure that It
will not only be around in the
autumn, but will make a huge
Impact on Christmas computer
sales." - Don Carter, ZCL
Tve been expecting this for well
over a year now. They have been
treating suppliers and users badly
for a while, and this was almost
inevitable. Their blinkered
marketing and narrow distribution
have alienated the company. As it
stands, the company is still
attractive and will probably be
bought by a large company.
"Whether or not someone like
Amstrad will be the ideal company
to do this is debatable. Hopefully
the owners may develop a multi-
platform Amiga, a bit like the
PowerPC, which is needed to
match current trends. The Amiga's
strengths go beyond Commodore's
credibility and we will be
supporting this excellent product
for some time to come." - Brian
Cobley. First Computer Centre
"We have been expecting
Commodore's position for the last
seven to eight months. We are now
in a wait-and-see situation. We
have several new products lined up
for release this autumn and see no
reason to delay their release.
"A Commodore without any
debts is bound to And a buyer
soon. There Is so much technology
to be gained by a potential buyer,
as well as a large user base. We
have kept all of our clients
Informed of the situation and very
few seem worried. When we
started out we felt that the Amiga
was the best platform for video
production, and we still do. We'll
continue to support ft." - Paul
Schmidt, NewTek
Computer
Deal 94
If you're looking for a computer-
bargain, you might consider
popping along to Computer Deals
94 The event will be held from
July 22-24. at The National Hall.
Olympia Exhibition Centre.
Hammersmith Road. Kensington,
London. W14 8UX Prices of
admission are as follows. £7 for
adults. £5 for children and £20 for
a family (two adults and three
children) To purchase a ticket, call
tr 0369 5335.
Dimensi
price cuts
New Dimensions is reducing the
price of its popular Technosound
Turbo 2 Advanced Sound Sampling
System to £39.99 RRP from its
original price of £49 99 If you
snoop around matt order
companies you might just find a
copy of the original Technosound
Turbo for a bargain price. New
Dimensions can be contacted on
t» 0291 690933.
SyQuest extent
Warranty
Removable storage device
specialists. SyQuest Technology,
have just extended their warranty
on 3 5-inch 105 and 270Mb hard
drive cartridges to five years.
SyQuest has made this decision
on the basis of the results of the
field tests that have been
performed on existing drives and
cartridges. Speak to your nearest
SyQuest dealer for more
information on the new warranty
and the SyQuest range.
Yu ducfion
ff(f(j
Silica Systems are reducing the
prices of several pieces of
hardware and software. The
A4000 030 goes down by £200.
and now starts at £999 for a
system with 4Mb of RAM and a
214Mb hard drive, as well as
whopping bundle of software.
Buy a copy of ImageFX 1.5
along with your Amiga and you can
get it for just £100 - a saving of
£80. The latest version of GVP's
1V24 video and graphics board is
available from as little as £749
There are plenty of other
reductions. Call Silica Systems on
tr 081 308 1230 for more details
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
6 NEWS
Mastering
Manchester Business School and
the department of Computer
Science at The University of
Manchester are now running a
master's degree that intends to
create a new breed of business
professionals. It's hoped that the
new Master in Business
Information Systems will equip
future managers with the skills
required to cope with the constant
changes in information technology
that are becoming essential to the
development of today's business
world. For more details on this
innovative programme, call the
Admissions Secretary,
Postgraduate Centre at
Manchester Business School on w
061 275 6309,
Sound
Blue Ribbon SoundWorks Ltd.. the
makers the highly-regarded Bars
and Pipes Pro and SuperJAM, are
giving advice to anyone, not just
their customers, and for no
charge! The company is willing to
help those who wish to enter the
world of MIDI music on the Amiga.
The company has set up a help
line and will also accept written
enquiries. You can call them on tr
081 332 6959 between 11.00am
and 4.00pm.
The Computer Graphics Expo will
be held on 8-10th November 94,
at the Wembley Conference and
Exhibition centre. The show will
have the backing of the Computer
Graphics Suppliers Association
who represent over 90 of the
country's leading graphics
companies. The show will cover
special effects, simulation, virtual
reality, animation, multimedia and
visualisation. To find out more, call
* 081 995 3632.
Starpri
fall in
Star Micronics. the company that
have brought us such well-known
printers such as the LC-100. have
announced severe price cuts. The
RRP of some of their most popular
printers have fallen in price by as
much as 25 per cent. For example,
you can now pick up a LS-5 laser
printer for an RRP of £519,
instead of its pervious price of
£609. For more information on
Star Micronics' products, call «
0494 471111.
Found: one Ginger Tabby
The Tabby is a graphics tablet; it has been available for
the Atari ST and IBM compatible PCs for some time. The
reasons it has been so popular, especially on the PC, is
that at £49.99 it is phenomenally cheap. The tablet has
an impressive resolution of 2048x1536 elements; this
makes it ideal for both high-precision work, such as CAD.
and for freehand drawing.
The only thing the tablet lacks is pressure sensitivity,
which is a bit much to ask for under £50. The driver
software supplied runs as commodity that only takes up
35K of memory, but it does need Workbench 2.04 or
higher to operate. The Tabby works through mouse
emulation, so it should work with most of your software
and Workbench. If you like to find out more about the
Tabby, contact First Computer Centre on » 0532 319444.
The Tabby Is Ideal for high-precision work such as CAD.
Epson, the makers of the popular
range of Epson scanners, have just
produced a free 100-page book
entitled "The Totally Scantastic Guide
to Desktop Scanning'. This pocket-
sized publication aims to give the
"The Totally
Scantastic
Guide to
Desktop
Scanning"
from Epson
covers all
aspects of
scanning and
even some
DTP. And
best of all -
it's free!
It's Totally Scantastic Mate!
reader more than a few. technical
expressions that can be glibly trotted
off at board meetings. It covers all
aspects of scanning and even some
of DTP. It gives a clear explanation of
scanner types such as:
handscanners. flatbeds. cameras,
and even PhotoCD.
The book also explains how
scanners work. It is quite in-depth in
its explanations, even covering CCD
sensors (Charge Coupled Device)
which have always seemed a little
mystical to most computer users. It
also introduces the reader to many
important principles that will be
needed to obtain the best results
from your scanner. Some of the
principles discussed are; image
resolution, pixel depth, half-toning,
interpolation. Gamma correction, and
dithering techniques. It explains the
differences between graphics
formats, including bitmap images
and vector drawings.
In order to ensure that what is
printed out is what you expected, the
book explains how monitors and
printers work. This is not too in-depth
or confusing, but provides enough
information to ensure that you get
the best out of your available
equipment. To obtain your free copy
of The Totally Scantastic Guide to
Desktop Scanning, call Epson (UK)
on » 0442 61144.
New Genlock from Germany
German genlock specialist, Electronic-Design, have just
announced the release of its new genlock - the Neptun-
Genlock. It was first seen at CeBIT 94 where it was
favourably received. The Neptun-Genlock, like the rest of
Electronic-Design's genlocks, can be used with an Amiga,
PC-Pegasus. PC, or any combination of machines. This can
be particularly useful if you have a multi-platform studio.
The genlock's main selling points are its low price, ease of
use and high-quality images.
The genlock will be supplied with some impressive
software. It should provide extensive control over the
genlock: it will also have a standby mode and video-
enhancing abilities. Another feature is the software's Key
invert function; this can be used in conjunction with a
computer image to create a "mask" over video images.
This feature is something that is usually associated with
much more expensive systems. As well as being able to
perform manual fading there are options for automatic
fading, such as using Scala scripts. There is full support
for ARexx and for Hotkeys. However, the genlock's most
powerful feature is its extensive use of Alphachannels. The
software can use Alphachannels to create special effects,
such as semi-transparent shadows and backdrops. They
can also improve computer generated images by using
the Alphachannel's semi-transparent pixels to antialias
the images.
The Neptun-Genlock is promising an impressive range
of features for a reasonable price, approximately £490.
and can be obtained from Electronic-Design * 010 49 89
3545303.
FORTHCOMING ENTERTAINMENT
Come October it will be show time once more as the
Future Entertainment 94 opens in London.
Due to be held in Earls Court 2 from 26th-30th
October, the show follows on from last year's packed-to-
the-gills Future Entertainment Show.
If you attended last year's show, you may have noticed
a bias towards the various games consoles. Things are
going to be different this year, with the emphasis being
very much on home computing. Hurrah!
As well as the sort of exciting product launches and
bargains that you'd expect to see. there'll also be three
theatres. These will be hosted by the editors of this and
Future Publishing's other computing titles, and will be
there to give you the opportunity to have your queries
answered and see the latest developments. There'll be
seminars on getting the most from your computer,
upgrade advice, pushing applications to their limits, and
meet-the-programmers sessions.
There's also be purpose-built demonstration areas
covering "Creating a Home Office" and "Computers in
Education."
More details as they appear... don't miss it!
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
NEWS 7
Silica shops across the nation
Silica Systems, one of the largest hardware and
software mail-order companies, is in the process of
opening a chain of 20 shops up and down England.
The stores will feature futuristic decor and unique
demo testing pods for shoppers to test products.
Ken Browning. Silica*s Retail Controller, hopes the
environment they have created "will capture the
excitement of modem technology for those new to
computing, as well as the experts."
The company have gone into partnership with
Debenhams and their stores will primarily be based
in Debenhams department stores. This should give
the company a large enough launch-platform to be
able to successfully take on current high-street
electronics stores.
One the stores' strong points will be the staff -
they have all undergone rigorous training. Silica's
courses not only instill a commitment to customer
satisfaction, but they also give the staff a good
grounding in the technology. This means they can
really help you, rather than just recite some
technical spiel they have learnt by heart.
Silica have already enjoyed huge success with
their mail service and we would like to wish them
well in this their latest endeavour. Here's a list of
cities where stores will be opening:
London-Selfridges. London 52 TCR, Sidcup-Kent,
Croydon, Southend on Sea, Ipswich. Manchester,
Chelmsford, Glasgow, London Oxford Street,
Bristol. Guildford, Southampton. Romford,
Silica is opening a chain of 20 stores especially
equipped to capture computing enthusiasts.
Sheffield. Luton. Plymouth, Hull, Harrow and
Bournemouth. If you want more information about
the stores, call Silica on ■ 081 309 1111.
£5000 3D Nolo -
Art Competition
The 24-Bit Club and Munday Spacial Imaging are running a competition for
Amiga-owners who want graphic creations turned into a hologram. The
combined value of the prizes is in excess of £5000! Send your complete 3D
scene, including textures, and they'll do the rest (but nothing protected by
copyright, such as Essence textures). There are three categories to enter:
Science-Fiction/Fantasy, Photo-realistic and Organic/Abstract. Send to: 3D Holo-
Art Competition. 24-Bit Club. 6 Skirsa Square, F/l, Glasgow, G23 5DW, before
28th October 94. Even if you don't win. you may get your work commissioned.
PAL LIGHTWAVE ON ITS WAY
Great news for those of you who've been lusting after the fabulous Lightwave
rendering package bundled with NewTek's Video Toaster - NewTek are planning
to release it as a stand-alone package.
The stand-alone Lightwave is due for release in a month's time, and will be
compatible with PAL Amigas. The rice is $699. which should equate to around
£599. NewTek « 010 1 913 354 1146. More details as we get them...
SIREN GET SMART
Siren Software are now stockists of
the high-performance and low-cost
Smart One range of modems. All of
the modems will be supplied ready-to-
run, with a copy of the excellent
NComm communications package, an
RS232 cable, power supply, a two-
year warranty and a helpful "getting
started" guide.
The Smart One 1442FX is just
The low-cost Smart One modem.
one of the range of modems from
Best Data Products. It Is
competitively priced at £199 and
offers plenty of features. It is fax
group III compatible, sends and
receives fax data at 14400bps. full
duplex at
14400/12000/9600/7200.4800.24
00/1200bps, automatic pulse or
tone dialling condition dection,
supports CCITT V42bis/V32/V22bls/
V22/V21 and Bell212a. Its LED unit
can display whether the modem is in
several different modes such as:
Auto Answer, Carrier Detect, Off
Hook. Receive and Send Data. Test
Mode and Ring Indicator. All in all.
it's a pretty comprehensive list of
functions for an impressive price.
Contact Siren Software on « 061
724 7572 to order, or for more
information on this range.
A MA0A7I
A nation asks: is Mr Nutx...
OUT OF HIS TREE?
In case you don't know already, let us tell you about,
and recommend from the bottom of our hearts, our
two sister magazines. Coming from the same stable
as Amiga Shopper, they are. of course, filled to the
brim with the sort of high-quality editorial you would
expect.
Over to the right is the cover of the latest Amiga
Format - the world's best-selling Amiga magazine.
It's on sale at this very moment. Inside you'll find all
sorts of information for the general Amiga
enthusiast, including Strokes Of Genius -a huge
feature on painting and drawing with Deluxe Paint
and Personal Paint. With the magazine you'll also get
three cover disks containing: InterSpread - a
spreadsheet; Demo Maniac - a utility for creating
graphical and audio demos from Black Legend; and
top new game Dream Web.
To the left is the latest issue of Amiga Power,
the magazine "with attitude" for the true Amiga
gamer. On sale at the moment, it comes with two
cover disks, including exclusive games Super
Obliteration and Atom Smasher, and carries a review
of Mr Nutz. a feature on censorship, and the
programmers' story of Sensible Golfs creation.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
8 NEWS
R Shamms Mortier, our man across the pond, brings you the hottest news.
NEWTEK NEWS
As most Toaster owners know, the poorest part of
the Toaster collection of attributes is ToasterPamt.
which as a 24-bll paint program is far behind other
paint programs available for the Amiga. There are
rumours that NewTek is designing a replacement
paint module that will rival any paint program on
any platform, thereby upgrading the whole Toaster
system another step. Now comes news (from my
unnamed private source) that there is the highest
degree of possibility that some kind of
retargelability. addressing other 24-bit boards, is
being thoroughly explored as a part of this
process. That means that it just may come to pass
that owners of Harlequin. Picasso, Retina, and
other Amiga 24-bit boards will be able to see their
ToasterPaint artwork on very state-of-the-art
screens. Wouldn't that be nice?
Amiga watchers who have fantasised that
NewTek might either single-handedly, or in
cooperation with others, buy Commodore out from
under the guns should wake up. NewTek is going
full speed ahead with ports of the Toaster
technology to IBM, Mac. and SGI platforms,
thereby distancing themselves from Commodore
foolishness. Newtek » 0101 800 843 8934.
A LOT OF NERVE
Any of you who are fans of Electronic Arts DMusic
software and who also operate MIDI equipment will
want to investigate Nerveware's RiffGrabber
software. RiffGrabber will actually grab any slice of
music that you play and transfer it exactly as
played into DMusic notation. That means that any
quirks in the rhythmic content are ported over
correctly, addressing a fault in DMusic's inability to
do that. RiffGrabber can be purchased directly from
Nerveware for only £75.
Just as interesting as the Nerveware
RiffGrabber product is the fact that Nerveware's
CEO. Nick Didkovsky. is becoming a major
composer of world renown, and that he is
absolutely committed to using the Amiga as a
creative tool in the process. He composes all of
his extremely complex scores on the Amiga with
the help of DMusic and his RiffGrabber software.
He also prints out separated scores for his
musicians, and then performs live at various sites
In NYC and internationally. His work has been
reviewed by the New York Times, Guitar World
Magazine, and Ear Magazine in France. His New
World Rock Orchestra has two albums out (cover
art produced on the Amiga as well), and upcoming
dates include the Lincoln Centre in New York.
Amiga musicians should know the depth to which
our beloved platform has integrated itself in all of
the arts, and should keep this in mind during this
transitional time.
UP, UP, AND AWAY
Another small note from a superlative Amiga
developer. Prime Image is known for many
hardware products that support the Amiga and the
Toaster. We have learned that the quality of their
Image enhancement products are valued high
enough to incorporate their technology on the
latest Space Shottle missions. NASA chose Prime
Image because of its reputation as developers of
products of the highest broadcast quality
performance. Prime Image « 0101 408 867 6519.
NEWS FROM THE LAMP
Most Aladdin-4D owners now have the eleventh
issue of the Aladdin newsletter, along with a new
"free" version of the program (3.2). New textures
include: "Deadleaves", "Sunset", and a red-blue
star texture. There is also a series of drawing
projects accompanied by tutorial text. These
projects include: a Nut and Bolt drawing, a Dipping
mechanical Bird, a Beam-Me-Up project, a Spiral-
Drop, and a Stars-Planet project. Most of these are
the results of submissions by Aladdin-4D users.
OPEN ARCHITECTURE
ADSPEC Programming's decision to open the doors
of the Aladdm-4D software as wide as possible to
other developers wishing to create new tools is
paying off much sooner than expected. Several
developers have already jumped on board so that
new tools will continue to appear for free in the
Aladdin's Lamp newsletter, as well as to be
offered for modest prices. The newer tools point
the way to a future opening up of the renderer as
well, meaning that you'll be able to use many other
separate renderers to accomplish what the Aladdin
modeller ports over. Aladdin-4D continues to be
one of the major driving forces in Amiga 3D art and
animation. ADSPEC * 0101 216 337 1329.
A TAPE IN TIME—
Users of BlackBelt Systems' ImageMaster image
processing software are in for a long awaited
moment... the release of supportive instructional
videos of this extensive and complex software.
Because of the constant upgrading that
ImageMaster goes through (about seven or eight
major revisions a year), BlackBelt decided to forgo
the printing of a manual in favour of on-screen help
files. This is all well and good, but has done little
to give users a comprehensive overview of what Is
possible and how to do it. Welcome to Kinetic
Visions, a separate company that is now marketing
a videotape and disk tutorial package for
ImageMaster users. Sales have already been brisk
on this hot item, and it looks like there's no way
but up ahead. The tapes (three in all) took over ten
months to put together, and are current with the
present "RT" version of ImageMaster. Every
aspect of ImageMaster is addressed, and both
seasoned and new users should be able to jump
The Imagemaster RT main Interface (from which
you can access dozens of other menus and
screens) shows why the tutorial tapes mentioned
are an absolute necessity.
A wonderful ringed planet animation from the
Aladdin's Lamp newsletter.
far ahead of the image processing game with
these tapes in hand. Contact BlackBelt for more
info. The instructional package, by the way. sells
for about £105. Blackbelt « 0101 800 852 6442.
MORE NEWS ON
"FREEFORM"
Two issues ago I told you about a new 3D design
package called FreeForm. which at that time was in
late stages of development. Well, the time has
arrived for its release to the marketplace with
version 1.7 (about £100). FreeForm is unique
because it is a separate 3D "spline" based editor
that outputs to other rendering software. At the
moment it writes to the object formats of
Lightwave, Real3D2, Caligah. and Imagine. Under
consideration for the near future are Aladdin-4D
and POV formats. Spline editing allows for the
creation of much smoother organic objects and
transitions. With the plans by NewTek to create a
PAL version of the Toaster, the way that this
software addresses Lightwave modelling should
prove very valuable for PAL users.
The release version offers the following
enhancements over previous Beta releases:
1. Tween by tween morph stepper so that each
frame of an object morph can be saved out as a
separate Lightwave file; 2. More tools to address
the Lightwave "Bones" functions; 3. A very fast 90
degree rotation of objects in any XYZ plane; 4. An
enhanced and easier to manipulate extruder that
replaces the extrusion complications in Real3D: 5.
An "Only These" function that allows you to select
a range of points on an object for manipulation.
When I asked Furi Owurowa, the head
programmer and CEO. why he thought Amiga 3D
artists and animators would want to invest in his
software, he replied that FreeForm was an easier
to use spline editor than that found in the other
packages that he writes to. and that it could do
many things that they can't. He is also planning to
support the "Warp" board, a transputer for the
Amiga that will run applications at up to 300 MPS
(Megabytes per second). As an aside, I can tell you
that the Warp Board is real, and is now resident in
the hands of several Amiga developers. As for his
thoughts on how the sinking of Commodore would
effect his business, he replied that it would make
little or no difference. He is committed to
supporting his customer base, and of marketing
his wares to all Amiga artists and animators. This
is exactly the reply that we all appreciate, and
matches that of the majority of developers.
Owurowa Software w 0101 718 996 1842.^D
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
WORD PROCESSORS 9
What a difference a year makes. Since
our last word processor roundup In
issue 25 we've laid to rest four of the
nine packages that were on sale in the UK at that
time - Excellence, Scribble, TransWrite and
KindWords3 - and the two packages that came
out top In that roundup, Wordworth2~AGA and
Final Copy II, have incubated into two new
packages, Wordworth 3 and Final Writer. Two
other battlers, Protext and Personal Write, have
changed enough to have jumped by one whole
version number. Even Pen Pal, which hasn't
changed significantly for three years or more, has
got a new manual and had a tenner slashed off its
suggested retail price.
The New Horizons word processors, ProWrite
and QuickWrite, are still unavailable in this country
so we've again decided not to waste space by
including them in our roundup. Instead we've roped
in two shareware packages that are available.
EdWord Professional and TeXtPlus Professional.
There are two sections to this word processing
feature. In the second section we'll be directly
comparing how well each of the packages handle
formatting, graphics and printing, but in this first
section we'll be looking at each package
individually and pointing out specific strengths and
weaknesses, highlighting the major advantages
and disadvantages of each word processor in turn.
So there can be no allegations of favouritism the
packages are discussed in alphabetical order,
which means the honours go to...
EDWORD PROFESSIONAL
EdWord is a UK shareware package, costing £10
War
of the
Word
Wordworth 1 AGA ?
I
Protoxt 6
^/^iiad Write
Pen Pal 1 .5
CI
Final Write/ 2
Final Copy II
a. mg m 3: TextPlus Professional
«s Sr J |
IdWord Prof«Mlon«l 9* M
f Final Copy II
^ Pinal Writer 2 jj
D Wordworth XOa Z
I fl
->«ai V 3 Profex* C Wordworth 2 ASA
Jeff Walker's mammoth round-up of word
processors includes every commercial
package and a couple of shareware ones,
too. Find out which is best for you...
direct from the author, and its cheap price is
certainly its major advantage. The author of
EdWord, Martin Reddy. explains at some length in
the orHjisk documentation that EdWord, despite
what you might infer from its name, is not a word
processor, merely a text editor. The difference,
according to Martin, is that text editors are just for
bashing out words and saving plain text files, and
are therefore more suited to the needs of
programmers, whereas word processors are for
setting out the text on the screen as it will be
displayed on the printed page.
EdWord contains very few word processing
features indeed - it is even impossible in EdWord
to alter the width of a document or paragraph
without resorting to an ARexx script. In Martin's
defence he makes no claims that EdWord is a word
processor. All of its strengths are geared toward
programmers - record and play macro facilities; an
automatic text caser that picks out keywords
and/or variables of 14 popular programming
languages in upper case, lower case, capitalised or
as specified in the supplied keyword file; a
symbolic indentation feature... All this and more
makes me wonder why it is called EdWord and not
EdProg.
The reason for including EdWord in this
roundup was not to put it down - l*m sure many
programmers will find it very useful indeed - but so
that you would not make the same mistake I did in
inferring from its name that is is something which it
is not. If you are still using an old Kickstart 1.3
A500 with one floppy drive and only 512K of
memory, then EdWord's price and spartan word
processing facilities may suit you down to the
ground, otherwise it is for programmers only.
;ii
M*»iif
:-:;
h* *rt*. ■ •
.*** .*• -•
EdWord Professional has a split screen feature
that enables you to have two documents on-
screen at once, and cut and paste between them
If you like.
FINAL COPY
There is a clear market for Final Copy II, and it has
more to do with what equipment you own than with
what word processing features you require. If you
are still using Kickstart and Workbench 1.3, and/or
if you do not own a hard drive yet. and/or if you
have only l-2Mb of memory, Final Copy II is
probably the best Amiga word processor you can
get running on your system. (Although for the hard
of thinking I'd better make it clear that it of course
works with later versions of Workbench and a hard
drive and more memory.)
Final Copy II is based entirely around scalable
outline fonts (sometimes called 'soft' fonts), so its
printed output is always the best that your printer
can manage. That's the up-side. The down-side is
AMIGA SHOPPER O ISSUE 39 O JULY 1994
1 WORD PROCESSORS
that printing with scalable fonts means that
printouts will take much longer to roll out of the
printer than with a word processor that uses a
printer's built-in fonts (which are not usually
scalable). As well as the rare NimbusQ scalable
fonts, the program supports Compugraphic and
PostScript Type 1. so there are plenty of
inexpensive PD and shareware fonts that can be
used to brighten your documents. For those times
when you want just a quick text printout, to
proofread the copy for example, Final Copy II has
Draft facility that prints quickly using the printer's
default font.
At the other end of the printing scale there are
PostScript facilities - mono and colour, non-
resident PostScript fonts are automatically
downloaded and you have the choice of
parallel/serial printer and portrait/landscape
orientation. No crop marks or halftoning control
though.
All IFF-ILBM graphics formats are supported,
right up to IFF24, and since the last time I looked
at Final Copy II it has been updated to support 256-
colour AGA screen modes. The depth of graphics
can be arranged (send to back, bring to front), and
there are some simple drawing tools for producing
lines, circles and boxes.
Font handling is excellent. You can change
fonts by simply dragging a block and selecting or
loading a new one. or you can go the whole hog
and set up style sheets so that all attributes of a
font (name, style, size, line spacing, colour and so
on) can be applied to a block of text with one menu
selection rather than a dozen or so.
Master pages enable you to easily produce
multiple-page documents that have a number of the
same elements on each page - headers, footers.
nssrcsnftosi
ri H i w i ■i nr i P i uv i Mnn Ti i i m i imi i w i mm* w ill , I
if i iiiiniii if" mm win
her
fonjl
rfhe|
It be>
Cane*
6i
Aunt Polly was vexed to think she had overlooked that b
.
Final Copy II contains facilities to set up page and
printer margins, title pages, facing pages, master
pages and up to six columns per page.
logos, global margins and so on.
At £49.95 Final Copy II costs £50 less than it
did in the last roundup. Back then it was on a par
with Wordworth2-AGA, which itself has dropped
price by £80 to £49.95, and these two packages
are still nip and tuck all the way. If you are trying to
decide between them, then the question you need
to ask yourself is: "Do I want my word processor to
use the fonts that are built into my printer, or do I
want PostScript Type 1 font support (and will put up
with slower printing), so that I can make use of the
thousands of freely distributable fonts that are
available?'* If the answer is printer fonts, look at
Wordworth2AGA; otherwise check out Final Copy II
because it may be better suited to your needs, and
you may find it easier to get to grips with.
FINAL WRITER
The major disadvantage of Final Writer, to the
majority of UK users at least, is that it requires a
hard drive. This suggests that it is a serious tool
aimed for serious users, as indeed it is.
One of Final Writer's best features is the way
you can split large documents into formal sections.
If you were preparing a book you could have a title
page section, contents section, a preface section.
a section for each chapter, an endnotes section, a
bibliography section and lastly an index section.
Each section is like a document in its own right,
with its own master pages, its own page sizes,
margins and number of columns, all of which may
be different from any other section. You work on
one section at a time, which means that a change
made half way through a document does not result
in all text thereafter being shunted around, only as
much text as there is till the end of the section,
making for greater editing and formatting speed. Of
course you can simulate this with any word
processor by saving each section as a separate
document, but having it all there with one load, any
section just a quick menu selection away, is so
convenient you wonder why no other Amiga word
processor developer ever thought of doing it.
Final Writer's seriousness is further illustrated
by its eight user-configurable button strips. These
are no ordinary button strips, these are not the
kind of button strips that you can build from a
number of fixed functions, half of which you may
have no use for. these are the kind of button strips
to which you can attach any menu command, any
string command (ARexx command), any ARexx
script, or any text clip (often used piece of text).
Novices may faint at the thought of such
complexity, but more experienced users will
understand how powerful this makes the program
as you can customise it to work the way you want it
to work rather than the way the developers think
BEGINNERS START HERE
Why do you need a word processor
at all? The answer is obvious - to
write with.
So why not use a typewriter? Or
longhand? After all. many millions of
books have been written without the
aid of a word processor. Do you
really need one? Yes. you do. Even
if it's only to write letters. OK, when
writing to friends and relations it
isn't very important to impress, but
a stylish, well-presented letter can
make the world of difference when
writing to the bank manager or when
applying for a job. Or when writing to
Amiga Shopper.
The problem with writing things
out longhand or with using a
typewriter is that you have to start
at the beginning and go on until you
get to the end. If, when reading
through what you have written, you
discover that you've left something
out, put something in the wrong
place, constructed a paragraph or
sentence poorly, misspelled a
word... you have to start all over
again and re-write at least the whole
page, maybe even the whole
document. With a word processor
you just load the file and correct it.
So word processors save you
time. And they can also improve the
quality of your writing. Because you
can cut-and-paste sections of text
around a document, you are not
forced into presenting what you
have written exactly as you typed it.
For example, you can bash out
ideas, sentences and paragraphs
as fast as they come into your
head, then go back and expand on
them, then move the sections into a
sensible order. If it doesn't all hang
together, then you can change
something, try out a new idea or
mess around until inspiration
makes one of its fleeting visits.
Sounds disorderly. I know, but this
approach is a recognised way of
generating new ideas. It's called
being creative.
After you've written your piece
you can use the layout facilities of
the word processor to prepare and
subsequently print the pages in a
professional or eye-catching style.
Some word processors enable you
to include pictures or 'graphics' on
the pages, so you can brighten up
business reports or newsletters with
diagrams and graphs for example.
If you are going to spend a
serious amount of time word
processing then you are going to
need more than just a standard
Amiga. While your computer will
work happily with the spare TV,
sitting up close staring at that poor
quality screen for hours at a time is
going to end in tears. Not tears of
frustration, tears of pain. You will
eventually begin to suffer
headaches. You need a monitor.
If you want to print your
documents, then you need a printer.
Do not rush into this decision. On
no account buy any old printer -
including that second-hand bargain
from the bloke down the pub - until
you know for certain that there is an
Amiga printer driver for it. How do
you find this out? Simple. Ask to
see it working on an Amiga. Make
sure that it prints text and graphics
without any spurious characters
appearing in the output.
Make sure the quality of the
output is up to the standard you
need. Don't be fobbed off with the
excuse that the printer is capable of
far higher quality output than the
person selling the printer can
demonstrate because he is
inexperienced with the Amiga. If the
person selling you the printer can't
make it work properly, don't assume
he is stupid, assume that the
printer doesn't work.
Just as important as a good
monitor and adequate prtnter is a
second floppy disk drive. Even if the
word processing system you choose
can run from one disk - and some
can't - you will want to save your
documents on to a separate disk.
With a single-drive system you will
be forever swapping disks, which
very quickly becomes tiresome.
Most important is extra
memory. Although some Amiga word
processors will work with only 512K.
after they have loaded they will
leave precious little room in memory
for your document. Spell-checking?
Forget it. unless the spelling
checker is a separate program.
At the very least you should
consider expanding to 2Mb of total
memory. And A1200 owners (who
already have this amount of
memory) should seriously consider
fitting a trapdoor expansion board
because, apart from the extra
memory gained, this action alone
will double the speed at which the
A1200 operates.
If you are serious about word
processing, and you have got some
savings put by. then a hard drive is
going to transform your slow, floppy-
munching, glorified games machine
into a helluva serious productivity
tool. With a hard drive attached
everything becomes so much easier
to work with and understand.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
WORD PROCESSORS 1 1
r F»MH C^py I
I - ■ - • - «,
"Wdl I know thai. AjkI *uihh»c there
±
J
Icihc
'■ . ■ t.-ttl .
. .,iilh->i ,m,l h /I . .'tmuiuiulalinv k
i ■ -'• !/• ■•>• >>•■' ./i'.i'. tlwl III-
The Type Specs in Final Copy II enable you to set
a multitude of font attributes so that a text style
can be simply selected with a single menu pick or
keypress.
you may want it to work.
Like Final Copy II, from which it grew. Final
Writer is based entirely around scalable outline
fonts. It has the same Draft printout facility for
quick text-only pages, but apart from that all output
uses either NimbusQ, Compugraphic or PostScript
Type 1 fonts, which means documents take longer
to print, but look deeply wonderful when they do at
last crawl off the platen. PostScript output facilities
have been extended to cater for halftoning (line
density, screen angle and even round dot or line
halftones), plus thumbnails, crop marks, scaling,
page sizes (but no offsets) and whether fonts
should be downloaded once only, or downloaded,
used and unloaded every time the printer needs
them, which conserves printer memory.
A more comprehensive style sheet system than
the one in Final Copy II has been implemented, and
I almost missed the fact that in Release 2 a Bullet
effect has been added which will automatically
stick a blob at the beginning of every highlighted
paragraph, a feature much used by writers of
reports and technical manuals.
br*% m linn-
,Ji'-^J •■■■••■ • -flftJ&L
*
tzzt-j
V" ' v
!<*•**
■ ***w m
His
I""** Iezj
Final Writer's sections system can be a fantastic
productivity aid for professional writers.
Final Writers style sheets are comprehensive,
and the floating styles palette makes selecting or
changing styles much easier than having to
remember a keypress or go hunting in a menu.
Despite its lightweight features list. Final Copy II
can produce stunning documents once you forget
about what it hasn't got and learn to take
advantage of the features it does have.
All IFF-ILBM graphics formats can be imported,
IFF24 included, and displayed in up to 256 colours
on AGA machines, but arguably the single most
brilliant feature of Final Writer is that it can import
standard EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) structured
art, and these may be displayed on the screen and
printed to any type of printer. And I mean all EPS
files, not just Adobe Illustrator format. I have even
printed pages to disk as EPSF from ProDraw and
ProPage and had them import, display and print
perfectly In Final Writer. Even EPS files which have
bitmaps and downloaded fonts in them can be
displayed and printed in their entireties.
If you are looking to buy the best Amiga word
processor, then the only reason I can think of to
pass over Final Writer is because you want your
word processor to use the fonts built into your
printer, something which Final Writer cannot do,
except with PostScript printers of course. Ah, just
remembered another reason; if you don't own a
hard drive you can't use Final Writer.
PEN PAL
Pen Pal was written a long time ago. Way before
scalable fonts came to the Amiga. Back in the days
when your average home printer came with two
built-in fonts: upright and italic. Consequently Pen
Pal's printer font support is limited to using a
single default printer font in the four common
styles - normal, bold, italic and underlined - and
its soft font support is limited to Amiga bitmapped
fonts, and these print as they appear on the
screen, with jagged steps around curves and along
diagonals. If your printer contains more than one
built-in font, then to get Pen Pal to use it you will
have to use your printer's control panel to make
this font the default font, and if it is a
proportionally spaced font, then what you see on
the Pen Pal screen is not going to be what you get
on the paper.
This printing inadequacy means that anyone
who wants to buy a word processor in order to lay-
out and print quality documents should steer well
clear of Pen Pal.
Graphics support is out of date as well. Pen
Pal will import all the pre-AGA IFF-ILBM graphics
formats - 2-64 (EHB) colours, plus HAM - but not
64. 128 or 256 colour graphics, nor HAM-8. so it
might be a poor choice of word processor for an
A1200 or A4000 owner.
The program has a few strengths, the greatest
one being its ease of use. Young children, and
adults new to computing, may find Pen Pars user
interface a lot easier to navigate than a standard
Amiga word processor. Not because it is better or
more powerful, but because it is simpler and
almost everything is very obvious because the
A keyboard that contained all
7,000 Japanese characters
would have to be the size of
three ping-pong tables end to
end.
mouse pointer has a flag attached that almost
always contains the name of the function of the
button it is hovering over. Because of its relatively
small size, the Pen Pal package is simpler to run
from floppy disk, another boon for beginners.
I always feel guilty criticising Pen Pal because
it is the obvious choice for out and out beginners,
but its lack of real document processing power .
means it should be bought as a first step, as an
entry level word processor, not as the word
processor you intend to use for ever and ever
amen.
PERSONAL WRITE
Personal Write is a word processor in the old
fashioned sense of the term, by which I mean it is
a program for processing words, not words and
.1* riU Hit Iwtb Ftmmi IrwhUt T**t irwj wl 1 ~T4
To beginners Pen Pal looks like the bee's knees.
Only after they have bought it do they realise that
its printed output is poor because It supports only
bitmapped fonts.
tm RI1.T
H
rtm +im*>m
liflM/lHI
r*t If*: u
N ltt*l ...
flinMl On Mmlmtl
lr«*U 'm»I FrHftwrt
lr.1 h-lM 'r.l
Firit f*f ■
'"•( Wttf :
tl.» a tl.Hl
it • « H
tl.n > M.tT)
d.a ■ <; m ■
ii m ■ ii.uti
□ — CD
□ ■* CD
(*Kt(
ET^EOTTE^X^Sm^:
H
If you want a custom page size in Pen Pal you
have to specify It In printer dots. Not many Pen
Pal users use custom page sizes.
pictures. Sure, it has a rudimentary Import
Graphics feature, but this is of little practical use.
merely window dressing.
The program's greatest attraction is its low
price, and it sports one or two surprisingly
sophisticated features for such an inexpensive
word processor. For example, it is not a WYSIWYG
word processor, yet it is able to print using up to
eight of the scalable fonts built into a PostScript
printer. Matching what's on the screen with what
actually gets printed is difficult - well, nigh on
impossible actually - but then if WYSIWYG
PostScript is what you want, then you should really
be spending your money on a WYSIWYG word
processor with good PostScript support (or Final
Writer to use the technical term).
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
1 2 WORD PROCESSORS
Being non-WYSIWYG, Personal Write does not
support soft fonts at all, which means it can print
using only those fonts which are built into your
printer. Control codes can be embedded in the text
to select or change printer fonts, but this is
certainly not something beginners should lumber
themselves with.
I can think of only two good reasons to buy
Personal Write. First, as it supports ANSI style
codes for bold, italics, underline and changing
colours. Personal Write would be a good program
with which to create text documents that are to be
read on-screen with a text reader that interprets
ANSI codes. Second. Personal Write has a very
easy to use mail merge feature.
If It wasn't for its amazingly non-intuitive block
marking and cut/copy/paste system it might be a
good choice for word bashers, but as it stands
Personal Write only just lives up to the word
processor classification - at heart it really wants to
be a text editor.
PROTEXT
Protext is the only fully-featured non-WYSIWYG word
processor left for the Amiga. There are many, many
advantages of using Protext rather than a
WYSIWYG word processor, the chief one being
speed. Because Protext doesn't have to worry
about rendering sexy fonts on the screen, its
operating speed is fast, and because it prints using
only those fonts that are built into your printer, its
printing speed is fast.
Protext knows all about the fonts built into
hundreds of popular printers, and Its proprietary
(non-standard) printer drivers contain information
about the widths of characters, which means that
lines of text on the screen, although they are typed
in a fixed width font, always match the lines of text
that are printed. Orvscreen this can result in
uneven line lengths, even when flush justified, and
this can take a little getting used to. but once you
have accepted the fact that Protext is not a
WYSIWYG word processor and start exploiting its
strengths instead of whinging about its
weaknesses (which are almost all to do with not
being WYSIWYG), then you will begin to realise that
Protext can produce documents that are every bit
as professional looking as those that can be
produced with a WYSIWYG word processor,
especially if you own a printer that has goodly
number of built-in fonts. No other Amiga word
processor can take such great advantage of the
fonts built into your printer.
Bitmapped graphics can be included in
documents, although again it Is not WYSIWYG and
there is no runaround feature, so graphics can be
printed only between paragraphs of text, not with
text to the left or right of them. The current support
. .. .
, .J
- li r;rv-u;'
ru.rar.riB n?.nrji
■•#•< ••■
.« m* mitt' »1
Personal Write has a weird user Interface that
takes some getting used to, but It's fast and may
suit you If all you need to do Is bash out words.
Switching fonts In Protext Is a breeze because the
printer drivers know about the fonts In your
printer. Including the height and width of
characters.
t
Tfc* old lady *turl*4 round,
tied fled, oa the IhLaaL, ice
lluppeered over it
«»t Polly etood svrpri*
ft* Mp pi
,.,
IB* boy, can' l 1 eever learn anything? JUa't Be playeti
b like that for a* to be look tog out for him by this ti
ijuthn Mm— t fnnln Itiere In ran'L l«ra aa nlri
Defining global document settings Is easier In
Protext 6 than It has been In any previous version
of Protext but the stored commands are there If
you prefer to take advantage of their power.
is entirely adequate for including logos at the top of
sheets, including screen grabs in manuals or
charts in reports, which is really all the feature has
been designed to do.
Global document formatting facilities are easy
to use via a simple requester, and individual
paragraphs or sections of text can be formatted
differently by using different rulers. A massive
stored command language provides incredible
power over text formatting, printer output, mail
merge and much more, A powerful macro and
glossary system means that the program can be
configured to your personal requirements. It is the
sheer power of Protext that often has newcomers
to the program reaching for the bottle. It's not that
it is particularly complicated, it's just that there is
Be careful how you praise or
criticise the French. In France
an egghead Is an Idiot and a Jerk
Is a good dancer
tahaC +** r*iM* Kit tlrtifi »itH viltftfui aoitia*,
* ** % W I'M Uiiiflii ftroiftar on ym. «r4 ha
vi i*i hi* nit it f*Aj»*. m I ■ aafca h*a a» »*. tea
tor __ e«i»tm roamiT
•*• Ch*rm»fi *>«r li**; MM
LIm* a#r eaeei H^B
Left MnUI (JM
*>*' ?•■> aarfiei ■■ Mttan
ilf - Pvftkt lan: ttf T
*'**' Pae« nunitrtnt;
**•: e«U*Uee leMi
"•* ■ pMitiem nrf
«aa. nereifti for
riret eeee: ISVJ h
Aaneic kohan
•r a* f \r*X **i#:
C«K1L
* ivo troaa z tmnrt 4b< •* *'» aaeta* mrm hf Id **«a *j<
To* »"jct <**• *# !*• fv^d 1* ar r**«*' &«** \
>f • ftt*Ut« lUffy *WfffM W >*r* *» MQh fttti
Jtf U and frCr«tG*M«*tft t*yi ryili an#
»«,
Document fonnattlng options In Personal Write
are spartan - one-line headers only, and all you
can have In a footer Is a page number.
so much of it. What a lot of people fail to realise is
that nobody is forcing you to use these powerful
features; you can just load and type and print if
that is all you want to do, but should you require
greater control, vast power is there just waiting to
be exploited.
For people whose main use for a word
processor is to bash out words. Protext is
unbeatable for speed and text editing options, and
for owners of modem printers like the Epson Stylus
range, Hewlett-Packard's DeskJets and LaserJets,
PostScript printers, and any other printer that has
good built-in font features, Protext is the only Amiga
word processor that is able to make the best use
of those fonts.
TEXTPLUS PROFESSIONAL
TeXtPlus Professional is the second of our featured
shareware word processors, and while this one is a
lot more like a word processor than a simple text
editor, it is, like a lot of shareware, biased towards
specialist needs.
One of the greatest Amiga secrets is the
existence of a typesetting language called TeX.
There are several implementations - from the
commercial AmigaTeX by Radical Eye Software, to
the freely distributable 7eXon Fish Disks 611-616,
to the splendidly named LaTeX, to the still-under-
development PasTeX. What all these TeXs have in
common is that they enable you to format
amazingly quickly the likes of... well, anything you
like really. Books and manuals are what TeXs are
very good at because they turn what is a
nightmarishly laborious DTP job into as little as a
few hours of inserting typesetting codes.
But even inserting typesetting codes can be
laborious, often more like programming than word
processing, so TeXtPlus Professional has been
developed as a front-end to the two most popular
TeXs. Amiga TeX and PasTeX. Instead of having to
type in keywords and parameters. TeXtPlus
Professional enables you to select almost every
formatting option via friendly requesters. It even
has a preview mode so that you can see the fruits
of your labour on-screen before committing yourself
to paper.
Many manuals for Amiga products have been
produced with one TeX or another, the most
famous probably being the ASDG manuals for
ADPro, CygnusEdeX al. From an end-product point
of view, none of the Amiga WYSIWYG word
processors can hold a candle to the speed and
flexibility of typesetting a long document with TeX,
but, like the Protext stored command language,
TeX is certainly not for novices. TeX is one of those
complex systems that depends on many files being
in certain places at certain times, so. for a novice,
setting it up correctly could be a never ending,
nightmarish story.
To work comfortably with the shareware PasTeX
and TeXtPlus Professional you will need a hard
drive and at least 2Mb of memory, plus of course
the determination to learn the system. Happily.
TeXtPlus Professional does not have to be used
with a TeX; it can be used on its own as a simple
text-based word processor. There are enough text
editing features to keep word bashers happy, and
enough formatting features to enable you to set
global margins, page lengths and so on, plus there
are ways of embedding printer control codes into
the text in order to change fonts, styles, colours
and so on. If all you need to word process are
letters and simple text documents, TeXtPlus
Professional may very well be all you'll ever need.
But if you want to get the absolute best out of
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 e JULY 1994
WORD PROCESSORS 13
TeXtPlus Professional you'll have to get hold of
PasTeX or AmigaTeX.
WORDWORTH 2
Despite being superseded by a later version, Digita
are going to continue to manufacture and market
Wordworth2-AGA, albeit at a much reduced price of
£49.95. This new price makes Pen Pal its closest
rival, which costs Just £10 less, but of course the
two cannot really be compared feature-wise. In our
last word processor roundup Wordworth2-AGA beat
Pen Pal hands down in every department, and
nothing has changed except that the new low price
means that Wordworth2-AGA is now more attractive
than ever.
Wordworth2AGA s greatest strength is that it
contains good all-round support for both soft fonts
and printer fonts. It is the only Amiga WYSIWYG
word processor (Dar WW3 of course) that will
enable you to swap printer fonts mid document,
mid line, or mid word if you really must. Printer
fonts are changed in the normal WYSIWYG way of
highlighting the text and selecting the desired font
from the font requester. Not all printer fonts are
supported - DeskJet and LaserJet owners for
example will be able to use only a handful of the
fonts built into their printer - but Epson
compatibles are fairly well catered for, as are
PostScript printers (although you cannot download
fonts). If you want greater flexibility - because
printer fonts can be used only in a number of
preset small sizes, dictated by the printer not the
word processor - then you can use scalable
Compugraphic fonts, but of course the price you
pay for using scalable fonts will be much slower
printouts.
Wordworth2~AGA will import all IFF-ILBM
graphics formats up to and including HAM-8. Alas,
all imported graphics get converted to however
many colours are supported by the current screen
mode, and how they look on the screen is how they
will print. This is no great problem when you are
And this is why beginners should steer clear of
TeXtPlus Professional. Unless you are Amiga-
literate It could lead you right up the garden path.
*■:■■■
H
Midilly iitrrtftiif *pct IWt W rm lorn ipoi, m Itof
<mlt lot i*i» Uiir fiiciMtri ifu lm fcu lict. IWj iMrtlr
nMlM to Hitck Ui t lifiti, *m offortmutf ilnll olftr, ii Ut
opt of gtttitf i fW*<t of tn dm4 ■*»!■:
ii— -m
iitd pt u It i
MMeriiq crod
HI llMf (or M
U< mi
»"»■
The first time you select the Prefs option in
TeXtPlus Professional you begin to suspect that
this program Is not for the faint hearted.
UMBHUl
Wordworth2-AGA Is able to print using of the fonts
built Into some printers as well as bitmapped and
scalable outline fonts.
working with simple 2-16 colour clip art, but if you
want to import and print a 256-colour or HAM-8
picture you will need to have Wordworth2-AGA
running in 256-colour mode - this consumes lots
of memory and slows down the program to an
unusable operating speed, even on the fastest
Amiga. I haven't the patience to use Wordworth2-
AGA In 16 colours, let alone 256.
The other graphics weakness of Wordworth2-
AGA is that it scales graphics on to the screen,
which means they get printed at the very low
screen resolution instead of the much higher
resolutions printers use. There are no drawing
tools in Wordworth2-AGA; all graphics must be
imported, so lines, boxes and the like will have to
be bitmaps created with a painting program.
All these graphics weaknesses have been put
right in Wordworth 3, so it is very difficult to get
excited about this old version in the knowledge that
there is something better available, even if It is
twice the price or more.
If you are on a budget then your choice of
WYSIWYG word processors is between Wordworth2-
AGA and Pen Pal. Pen Pal is for out and out
beginners, and its printed output leaves a lot to be
desired. Wordworth2-AGA will suit the user who
wants better text editing features and better quality
output but cannot justify spending more than £50.
I suppose it is not a nice thing to say, but the blunt
truth is that Wordworth2-AGA is the poor man's
Wordworth 3.
WORDWORTH 3
The debugged version of Wordworth 3 - version
3.0a - duly arrived well in time for this roundup,
and my first duty must be to report that most of the
bugs that were in 3.0 have been squashed. The
program now feels much more stable, although it
still has a tendency to crash when you least expect
it, and its greatest weakness remains - its speed,
or rather its lack of it. Wordworth 3 is incredibly
slow when compared with any word processor other
than Wordworth2-AGA. This, I suggest, is the price
that has been paid for an exceedingly beautiful
user interface and several trivial features that don't
amount to a hill of beans.
What do I mean by operating speecf? Several
things. The speed at which characters appear on
the screen as you type them is dreadfully slow
once you've got a few pages of text tapped in -
way. way behind your fingers unless you are a one-
letter-a-second. two-finger typist. Marking a block of
text that stretches across pages is painful because
of the juddenngty slow scrolling speed.
Reformatting large blocks of text - changing a
whole document to a new page size, new margins
and new style and size of font for example - is
something you don't want to do unless you've
Sometimes you wonder what possible use a
feature can be, as with this on-screen thumbnails
preview in Wordworth2-AGA.
brought a flask and sandwiches with you.
Another weakness is the fact that Wordworth 3
claims that it can be run from two floppy disk
drives - but I wouldn't want to do it. The full
package, including fonts, is on 11 floppy disks, so
you can imagine the amount of disk swapping that
is required. Just to load the program requires four
disks and several in-for-a-second, out-for-a-second
disk swaps.
Yet another weakness is that while structured
(scalable) drawings can be imported, only two
rather obscure formats are supported, GEM and
CMG. whereas the formats most users will want to
import will be EPS. Adobe Illustrator and DR2D (the
formats Art Expression and ProVector use), and
perhaps Gold Disk's ProDraw format. Digita will be
selling some disks of scalable clip art, but if you
want to create your own you will have to do so on
another platform using a program that exports in
GEM or CMG format.
But it is not all bad news. Wordworth 3 has
some great features, not the least of which is the
drag-and-drop editing feature that has been added
to version 3.0a. This means you can mark a block
of text, then, with the pointer over the marked
block, hold down the left mouse button and drag
that block to another part of the document, which
is just so damn convenient. No other Amiga word
processor can do this, and if Wordworth 3 were
faster at text editing this feature alone could
certainly persuade me to change brands.
Wordworth 3's versatile drawing tools and
editable facing page displays are two other
features that make it a potentially marvellous tool
for formatting books and manuals. Its scalable font
support is perfectly adequate for the needs of most
users, although more experienced users will
bemoan the lack of style sheets. Strictly speaking
master pages are not supported, although headers
and footers are easy enough to set-up. and there is
a feature that will duplicate any group of objects on
one page on to every other page In the document,
which is a not-so-neat way of achieving the same
effect as master pages.
Another potentially useful feature unique to
Wordworth 3 is tables. These are separate objects
that can be moved around a document at will, just
like a picture or other graphical element. In other
word processors you have to use tabs to format
tables, and these can be difficult to move or
It has been calculated that
Shakespeare used 17,677 words
In his writings, of which at least
10 per cent had never been used
before. Imagine If every tenth
word you wrote was original!
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
1 4 WORD PROCESSORS
change once formatted, but in Wordworth 3, freely
adjustable tables are easy as winking, although,
like much else, they are dreadfully slow. In a
similar vein, Wordworth 3 features text objects
which are separate elements from the main text,
ana which can be adjusted and positioned as you
see fit. Final Writer has a similar feature, but
Wordworth 3's text objects are much more flexible.
If you want the top WYSIWYG word processor
you don't need me to tell you that the choice is
between Final Writer and Wordworth 3. For me Final
Writer has neater solutions to most of the more
essential word processing features, and it is
definitely a lot faster than Wordworth 3. But. now
that It is more stable, and if you can live with the
sluggish feel. Wordworth 3's bells and whistles and
colourful trivia might be more attractive to you than
Final Writer's more workmanlike approach.
HEAD TO HEAD
Now that we've seen what features make each
word processor special, it's time to put them head
to head and discover how well they deal with the
essentials of creating documents
Having outlined the special features of each
word processor in the first section, we now come to
the battle royal, a direct comparison of common
features, features that are an expected part of any
word processor. Naturally there are hundreds of
such features, and there would not be enough
space in a whole issue to discuss and compare
them all, so instead we will be concentrating on
three important areas: document formatting;
graphics handling; and printed output.
Text editing is another important area - how
easy a word processor makes it for you to type in
text, cut and paste it. move about the document
and so on. But this really is the basic stuff of a
word processor, and although some word
processors are better at it and contain more
features than others, all of the featured word
Wordworth 3 is far and away the best looking
Amiga word processor, but the price you pay for
this prettlness Is lack of speed.
Don't you wish that there was a
BLI single English word that means a
very slight desire for something
BOBS t)ut t0 ° slight to actually make
you do something about It?
There is. The word is velleity and It Is a noun.
(Put the kettle on. luv. I've got a velleity.)
cofVQya' **■ jti dolor* eu feuo,»at nulla **t"
dto/»t*m q, b iWHl c«se r ' luowv* ani deleft auo-.^
Ice™ iMgm do i of *t »met, conieaetw*' ad'p.*c>ng em,
tiw^m.^i ..i imrrrr m'-*** **»«-■ ilu^i
Many hobbyists may find Wordworth s font
selection system less fussy than the style sheets
in Final Copy II and Final Writer that are preferred
by professionals.
processors have perfectly adequate text editing
facilities, and any comparison of these features
would by necessity have to discuss such mundane
stuff as what keys you have to press to
cut/copy/paste, how files are selected for loading,
what keys you have to press to move from one
word to another, and so on.
Protext is a case in point here. While it appears
at first glance to adhere to the Commodore GUI
guidelines, upon deeper investigation you find that
Amiga-X, Amiga-C and Amiga-V do not cut, copy and
paste in the way that the Style Guide says they are
supposed to. Similarly, Personal Write uses Amiga-
S to switch overstrike mode on, a keypress that in
almost all other Amiga software will save the
current project - which is Amiga-M in Personal
Write. (And Amiga-A to load a document; don't ask
me why). The more pedantic among you may find
these kinds of inconsistencies unacceptable.
Other programs - like Final Copy. Final Writer
and Wordworth for example - stick very close to the
Amiga Style Guide for keypresses, menus and
requesters, but Wordworth doesn't use the
standard Amiga clipboard for cut/copy/paste, and
Final Copy and Final Writer do not use the standard
ASL file requester, and all of them do at least one
thing that is specifically not recommended in the
Style Guide. Some of you may find these non-
standard features just as unacceptable as
non-standard keypresses.
Me, I don't really give a monkey's. At the end
of the day such things don't matter all that much
because you can very quickly get used to working
with any program, no matter how non-standard the
interface may or may not be. so let's not waste any
more space discussing religion, we've got bigger
chips to fry.
FORMATTING
Presentation is nine tenths of the sale, so fast,
intuitive and versatile document layout facilities are
of paramount importance to any word processor.
There are several levels of document layout. A
letter doesn't require much layout, just a special
font and style for your name and address perhaps,
right justified at the top of the page maybe, or
perhaps along the top or bottom of the page in a
header or footer. Business and project reports may
need more formatting. Certain paragraphs indented
and in a special style perhaps. Several styles of
subheadings, indented to several tab settings.
Footnotes or endnotes may be required, folios
(page numbers) plus the option to include diagrams
and tables. A table of contents might be required, a
list of illustrations maybe, possibly an index. For
manuals and books, fast and powerful layout
options will be required so that the job can be
finished as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Layout options are normally handled in three
ways. First there are the global settings - the page
size, margins and tab settings for the whole
document, possibly the line spacing and default
font as well. Changes made in a Document
Settings requester normally affect the entire
document, so these settings are always the first to
be specified.
Next there is the ruler, which is normally
paragraph based, so that if you adjust the margins,
indentation and tabs while the text cursor is in one
paragraph it affects only that paragraph. This
feature is almost always extended so that ruler
changes may affect all highlighted text, enabling
you to format many paragraphs at once.
Last there are the master pages. These enable
you to set up headers and footers, page numbers,
and any other element of your document that
needs to be present on every page - a ruled line
below the header text and above the footer text for
example.
On top of these features you will require easy
and quick ways to change everything to do with
fonts - typeface, size, style, colour, line spacing.
Because you can see changes made to
documents on the screen, document layout is
largely the domain of the WYSIWYG word
processor, which means your choice is between
Final Writer, the Wordworths, Final Copy II or Pen
Pal. That's not to say that Protext cannot format
documents because it certainly can - indeed it has
some document layout features that the WYSIWYG
boys don't, the most obvious of which is probably
footnotes, but there is also the less obvious
advantage of rulers than can be inserted into the
text, and moved and altered. Changes made to a
ruler in Protext affect all text below that ruler, up to
the next ruler in the text, so reformatting sections
of text can be easier than in a WYSIWYG word
processor where the section of text would have to
be highlighted first - an awkward task sometimes if
the text stretches over many pages. But Protext is
not WYSIWYG, so you have to see the formatting in
your mind's eye rather than on the screen, and
such skill only comes after much experience.
The disadvantage of formatting documents with
a WYSIWYG processor is that everything happens
much more slowly because the entire document,
not just the bit of it you can see on the screen, has
to be reformatted so that if you move to another
part of the document you don't have to wait ages
for it to appear on the screen.
You won't be surprised to team that the two
most expensive WYSIWYG word processors - Final
Writer and Wordworth 3- contain the most
powerful and largest number of document layout
features. Wordworth 3's greatest weakness in this
area is its lack of speed. Layout changes can
sometimes take so long that you wonder if the
program might have crashed, and with very big
documents - say 50 pages or more - the wait for a
simple adjustment, like a global change of font or
page margins, can seem interminable. Final Writer
is much faster - the tests I performed proved it to
be up to ten times faster than both Wordworths -
but, somewhat surprisingly, not as fast as Final
Copy II. But then Final Copy II is a bit lightweight in
the document layout department. However it does
have style sheets, making is easy to set up styles
of text that can be applied with one menu pick
instead of half a dozen or more.
Final Writer has an even better style sheet
system, you can even have a floating style palette
(a window with buttons in it) from which user-
defined text styles can be selected by mouse.
Neither of the Wordworths support style sheets,
but then many users find them too complex
anyway, which is why (say Digita) they have not
been implemented in Wordworth.
Multiple columns are among the most popular
features of WYSIWYG word processors, and I was
disappointed to learn that neither Wordworth 3 nor
Final Writer support parallel columns, only snaking
newspaper style columns. Parallel columns are a
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
AMITEK
Friendly Technology
Designed to bring you high quality and
performance at affordable prices,
AmiTek peripherals offer outstanding
value-for-money. They are built to
ensure easy fitting and trouble free
operation - making them a pleasure to
use. AmiTek products are also
thoroughly tested and very reliable, so
reliable that we are pleased to offer a
full two year warranty on the AmiTek
products detailed here.
XRAM UPGRADES
AMITEK FOR A500'A5O0pvus/A6O0 - 2YR WARRANTY
CODE DESCRIPTION
RAM 0505 A500 - 512K (No Clock)
RAM 0510 A50U • 512K (With Clock)
HAM 0520 A5O0PLUS - IMi, RAM
RAM 0605 A600 • 1MI (No Clock)
RAM 0610 A600 • 1M(- [With Clock)
X PCMCIA CARDS
Ml FOR AMIGA 600/1200 - ?YR WARRANTY
CODE
RAM 6020
RAM6O40
DESCRIPTION
A600/1200- 2Mb Card
A60O 1200 - 4Mt> Ca><3
INC VAT
C119
£179
£ MODULATOR
-MITEK
FOR ALL AMIGAS
The AmiTek External Modulator
r«ptacemeni mocWalof tor
Everything noedeO is supplied
penpfterafe. rt comae wttt
•a^ to Wow own,
• user friendly manual »
• High qualify <j«ign
• FREE RF cable supptteo
makes an Kteai
Amga owners
AmlTbh
MODULATOR
H
'A *A
QUALITY PERIPHERALS ■ AMIGA
AMITEK
m m m* mm mmm RAM UPGRADE
■W^-T & MATHS
ACCELERATOR
FOR THE AMIGA 1200
RAM w* u nt
<ise (he processing power of your standard A1200 Be ready (or the new
generate ot software wh«:h makes more Oemands on Amiga memory and
technology The AmiTek Hawk RAM expansion includes up to Awa fast 32-Drt RAM,
(he ability to support a sophisticated 68882 FPU (Floating Point Unit - drastically
iim the speed of maths intensive operations) and a battery backed up clock
Buti! lo a high standard, this board can be easily installed and comes with a 2 year
warranty The Hawk RAM board ts available >n 9 pre*configured versions enabling
you to select the model wh*ch best suits your requirements
i Plugs straight fitoAi200trap<toor-
INCREASES OPERATION 8Y UP TO 4DX
■
■
■
i o
wf
m '**
33-n, FPU
Ui HAM
10«N: f PV
ImIUM
MB
RAM
1
9 u
RAM
4 MO
RAM
Mb
CAM
33""'
FPU
40
r*v
No sokJenr»g required
Upyadeaitte FAST HAM board lo ' . 2. « or 8u>
Uses wiustry standard socketed SIMMs lor
easy upgrades
Two types ot optional Floating Pom Und -
33wv or 40wv PlXC 68882 co-prooas60T
CorrvrehansAfl manual *Mn illustrations
WorW wiffi af A i?00 and AI200HD computers
Does not invalidate your A1200 warranty
. rwwunl)
PRICES FROM ONLY
£99 £159
£139 £199
£199 £259 £299
£399 -
■
£499
1Mb RAM, NO FPU
£99
INC VAT RAM 1210
£ 1Mb INTERNAL FLOPPY DRIVES
FOR AMIGA 500/500plus & AMIGA 600/1200
Th*** internal Am<T*k Hkptocameni
»s org ideal toe us*** who wi»h .
to rept<ice lh*tr atiflmg .n!*mal ^M
drive
The packs tMiure ^M
« Ngh gualHy A
inlem.il In 3 - # ^1
dnv# macnanism
lor tha Amioa
500500* <-* or
d 600-1200
AM you new to M you
dnv* ** tndudtc. plus aaay
to fouo* Mang initniCtiona and
24 months warranty
A500/A500 PLUS
INTERNAL DRIVE
£44
H
A600/A1200
INTERNAL DRIVE
£44
OAiMM
.,MITEK
1Mb
8
3 1 / 2 " DELUXE FLOPPY DRIVE
FOR ALL AMIGA COMPUTERS
SONY
r.'E THANISV
DELUXE FEATURES
The AmiTeK drive has been
specially designed to meet the
needs ot Amiga users and has
many deluxe features which are not
included in other drives - check out
the competition!
ANTI-CLICK
The anti-click feature stops your
drive from making lengthy whirs
and clicks that occur when the drive
is empty and searching tor a disk
ANTI-VIRUS
The swilchable Anti-Virus mode
stops track viruses infecting the
disk while in the dnve. Yet, unlike
many other drives which have virus
killers, this Anti-Virus mode can be
disabled, allowing some 'ussy copy
protected software to run
ADD ADDITIONAL
DRIVES
As a double sided mechanism,
the AmiTek dnve gives 880K of
disk space after formatting. It is
also daisy-chamabie, which
means that you may add further
drives to your system and, uses
very little power from your Amiga
HIGH QUALITY SONY
MECHANISM
AmiTek look the time lo source a
mechanism that has all the
features, quality and reliability
that Amiga owners have been
crying out for. After vigorously
testing Sony's mechanism, it
proved to be the best by tar
available.
Ofttfautan
';'„. mm
ivMIM
MARCH 94
r
ANTI-
CLICK
ANTI-
VIRUS
ROBUST
STEEL
CASE
QUALITY
SONY
MECHANISM
TOP RATED
CU AMIGA
MAT W MN
2 '
YEAR
WARRANTY
f AMITEK
/
/
/
/
/
/
CUMANA
—
—
m
-
—
—
[POWER E
/
/
-
/
—
—
I ZAPPO
-
/
-
-
z >
High Quality 3'/*" Sony
Mechanism
Strong Metal Casing
Built-In Anti-Click Feature
Switchable Anti-Virus
Mode
Enable/Disable Switch
75ms Access time
Daisy Chainable Via Thru
Port
Low Power Usage
No Need For
External PSU
2 Year Warranty
EXTERNAL DRIVE
INC VAT - DRI M59
aye*
I "\ 9a*ore you dtade wnen
!• ♦] to Q.jv your new Amiga
\ -Id >/ Praxxis . *• suggest you
V* >**.afc C) "*> canyuty about
TV **?Z^ WHfRE you Du> Nm
'C£ TO Consoer *rw 11 w* be *e a
tew monms a*** you have made
your purcnas* wntn you may requre adottonal
penprwraS software or ft#*> anrj adwoB And w* me
company you ouy trom corttci you w«» delate 0* new
products' 1 A! S*ca we eneur* maj you w# nave rotwvj
to worry about With our unnvaead »pantnc« and
eapenee we can meet our ajaumerV requnmenli **
an un d e n landng wtvert • second to none CompleH
and return me coupon now tor our UhKt FREE Merakrt
and begn to ejpenence me "Saca Serve©'
• FftE OVEfifQMt OtUVt*
r>> *• n*<J**'f onyi snwo * mr u* ■
v. cftarge (or Saturtty dtfwfv)
• rCCHMCJL 8VWW' n€iHJNt-
A >nm 0* t»cnnc*i npffTs «r* 9t *t yo«r ttrvct
H17CK
j Sam p>oe»c! Same pea'
THE SILICA SERVICE
• ausmess • education • government
Votume lirii— i in j.nani* Til: N1-3M Kit
• sH cw moo m
fit nave oemorsr' jr-on tacMts at al our stores
• THE FVIL STOCK RANCE
Au 01 ,0tf computer rNw^mentS « AWt* from one
speoaW wpoSer
• me. t
W*otma*io^.witnspic*t«ijc«pr«o«ers a
wH K ma aa al sorrwart aad ompMrK
• P*rVEhl
A - accept most rruaw credt canjs casn_ crwaue or
morth*, terms (APft 299N - wnBW Qottts on rtaMesi)
TTTl
W.U8 TCCHMJCAL AND M€AO OFFICE
081-309 1111
1-4 T^MEWS, HATKnLEV Ho*o. SiDCUP. Keh- DA14 4DX
PLUS BRANCHES AT:
BRISTOL 5'J aaBhrtta 6272 291021
CHELMSFORD 0245 355511
CROYDON 081-688 4455
GLASGOW
GUILDFORD
HULL
^!C-""; - :
DafiaafOM
DeMBBpjBs • Ot120S94
041 221 0088
0483 301300
048? 25151
IPSWIC H DtteaftaBs^tto WBtjttSWH 1473 221 313
'
171-881 MM
■7 334CvtQrrjS 071-493 3735
LONDON
LONDON
LONDON 071-629 1234
LUTON 0582 21201
161-832 8666
MANCHESTER :*:*■/;
PLYMOUTH
SHEFFIELD
SlDCUP
E)Aer»»TC ■ 0PENUS9:
DatiMK -: . RtVbt
■ 1
■
SOUTHAMPTON:
SOUTHEND
,-Tr'M';.
-: V
0752 266666
0742 768611
881-302 8811
0703 22311!
0702 468039
.
7»ZT\
PLEASE SEND ME A 64 PAGE AMIGA CATALOGUE
Mr/Mrs'M*ssMs Inrtijls
Company - ^-j^
"»■*■' »j?
Postcode
l ■ ■■-■ ~~
fei<Home|
Tel (Work)
■
Whrch compu»er(S(
-Imy do/oo oivn?
213B
.
1 6 WORD PROCESSORS
necessity for writing scripts - you type the name of
the speaker in the left-hand column, press Return
and the cursor moves into the column on the right,
where you can type what has lo De spoken
adjacent to the name of who is speaking it. Then
press Return at the end of that passage to move
the cursor back into the left-hand column, but
beneath the text you have just typed on the right,
ready to type the name of the next speaker. Now,
this type of document can be prepared very easily
in Protext once you have worked out how to do it,
but if you want soft fonts and graphics as well,
then only ProWhte will serve your needs, a program
which it has been impossible to buy in this country
for more than a year.
Wordworth 3's independently movable text
blocks and tables make this program a necessity
for those who require these features. Final Writer
has independently movable text blocks, but they
are nowhere near as versatile as those in
Wordworth 3.
The other three WYSIWYG Amiga word
processors - Wordworth 2, Final Copy II and Pen
Pal - are lightweight in comparison to Wordworth 3
and Final Writer, especially Pen Pal, which is of
course why beginners find it so easy to use. Of the
text-based word processors only Protext has the
power to format documents to a similar level to
that which can be achieved with Final Writer and
Wordworth 3. All things considered, Protext is
probably the fastest and most powerful Amiga word
processor, even at formatting documents, but
because it is not WYSIWYG you have to put so
much more thought into layout, and Protext is
therefore considered by many to be much more
difficult to use.
The xenophobic British often
berate the Americans for
destroying the English language,
but If It were not for the
Americans we would still be
queuing In our cars at gyratory circles Instead
of roundabouts. (But thank heavens we
resisted stop-goes for traffic lights).
BLITS
BOBS
GRAPHICS
There was a time when graphics support meant
nothing more than the ability to import IFF-ILBM
files. The first Amiga word processor to support
graphics was the now dead and forgotten
KindWords, closely followed by Pen Pal. which
pushed back the boundaries of excellence by »
supporting HAM graphics, text runaround. the
ability to print the original graphic from disk rather
than the inferior version that was displayed on the
screen, plus some tools for drawing lines, boxes
and so on.
That is old hat now because in the same way
that users demanded scalable font support, and
got it, so they have been demanding scalable
graphics support. And with the releases of Final
Writer and Wordworth 3, they have got that too.
Digita have taken the strange decision to
support two rather obscure scalable graphics
formats for Wordworth 3, namely an Atari ST format
called GEM, and a PC format called CGM. Neither
format can be created by any existing Amiga
program so you are limited to what clip art you can
pick up in these formats. Digita has a collection of
GEM and CGM clip art they can sell you.
Softwood have taken the much more sensible
approach with Final Writer of supporting
Encapsulated PostScript format - EPS for short {or
sometimes EPSF) - which is the nearest thing we
have to a standard scalable graphics file format
that is portable across many platforms and
programs. Rather than re-invent the wheel.
Softwood have intelligently adopted Adrian
Aylward's famous shareware post. library, and this
seemingly innocuous step has had some rather
pleasing consequences - memory permitting, Final
Writer can import, display and print any EPS file. So
what? Well, so you can create graphics in ProDraw,
print then to disk as EPSF. and import them into
Final Writer, where they can be scaled to suit and
printed to any type printer, not just PostScript
printers. Same with Art Expression files - both
Adobe Illustrator export format and the normal Art
Expression files created with Save and Save As.
And. get this, same again with a page printed lo
disk as EPS from ProPage or PageStream -
bitmaps, downloaded fonts and all. No other Amiga
word processor or desktop publishing program can
do this - indeed there are only a few Mac or PC
programs that can do it. and they all cost five. six.
seven times as much as Final Writer.
Along with scalable graphics import facilities.
Wordworth 3 and Final Writer contain tools for
drawing scalable lines, boxes, ellipses and arrows.
Wordworth 3 is slightly stronger in this area,
providing extra facilities for rounded boxes, and the
style of the box frame - double line, dashed or
shadow, for example, instead of just a solid line of
a given thickness. Wordworth 3 also has a Text
Effects feature that is. frankly, a useless gimmick.
It is difficult to bring the other WYSIWYG word
processors into this discussion on graphics
HOW THEY ALL COMPARE
The rating system here is different
from our normal system, which we
didn't think appropriate for a major
comparison of so many packages.
Instead, this system is sort of
based on the way drivers score
points in Grand Prix racing.
We looked at one category of
features at a time, and the package
that we rated best in that category
scores 12 points, next best gets
10. third best scores 8, fourth best
6, fifth best 5, and so on down to 1
for the least impressive in that
category. (So no two packages will
have the same score in any one
category). We feel strongly that the
best word processor should be able
to handle anything and everything a
user requires of it. so if a word
processor does not support a
particular feature, it scores zero.
At the end the points are
totalled, giving a single Overall
score for each package.
This system enables you to
remove categories that aren't
important to you and re-total the
scores to get a more personal
overall rating. For instance, if
Graphics and PostScript support
don't matter to you, and you never
read manuals anyway, then add up
the scores without counting those
three columns.
The scores for prices are based
on the suggested retail prices. The
most expensive scores 1, the
cheapest 12. If you want to be
scientific about it. you could flick
through the adverts in this issue,
compile a list of current street
prices, and adjust the Prices ratings
accordingly. If two prices are the
same, give the higher mark to the
one that has been discounted the
most. The Overall true value rating
you get this way may be all you
need to make a final choice.
RATING POINTS
Overall - Final Writer came top in
eight categories, Protext came top
in three, EdWord Pro came top in
one (price).
SoftFonts - The scores are based
mainly on how scalable fonts are
handled by the program, and the
number of fonts provided free.
Protext and TeXtPlus Pro just about
scrape a rating because although
they cannot use different fonts on-
screen, both can be configured to
download fonts and use them. Note
that Pen Pal does not support
scalable fonts, only bitmapped
fonts, so it will always give jagged
text output.
PrtFonts - The scores are based
on the ability of a word processor to
utilise the fonts that are built into a
printer. The two point gap between
Protext and Wordworth is
misleading. Protext has by far the
best printer font support.
Wordworth is a poor second.
Print - The scores are based on
overall speed and quality of
printouts.
Extras - The little things a word
processor contains that can add up
to a lot. For example, features tike
Protext's powerful stored command
language, Final Writer's sections
and very configurable button strips.
and TeXtPlus Pro's powerful TeX
typesetting features.
Feel - These scores are based on
not just how quick the program
feels, but also on how solid it feels,
the attractiveness of the user
interface and how easy it is to use.
Overall
Final Writer 115
Protext 88
Wordworth3 86
Final Copy II 72
Wordworth2 71
TeXtPlus Pro 64
Pen Pal 39
Personal Write 33
EdWord Pro 23
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
WORD PROCESSORS T7
facilities because Wordworth 3 and Final Writer
contain so many more features. They all support
IFF-ILBM import, and all of them except
Wordworth 2-AGA win print the exact graphic so that
you can word process in four colours but still
include and print 256-colour pictures in your
documents - Wordworth2-AGA converts all IFF-ILBM
graphics to the number of colours of the current
screen mode, and prints that, which means if you
want 256-colour pictures in your documents you
have to word process in 256 colours. Which is fine
if you've got nothing else to do that day.
So if powerful graphics facilities are important
to you f short of buying a desktop publishing
program (which might actually be a better idea), the
choice has to be between Wordworth 3 and Final
Writer. And I think it is quite a clear cut decision: if
you've got a hard drive, buy Final Writer, if not,
you'll either have to buy a hard drive (and then
Final Writer) or put up with Wordworth 3's lack of
speed and sporadic crashes.
PRINTED OUTPUT
The end result most people want from a word
processor is very quick, high quality printouts. This
is not always possible, and whether you get it or
not largely depends on what printer you own. The
only way on the Amiga to have WYSIWYG, and the
flexibility of scalable soft fonts, and very fast
printouts, is to buy a PostScript printer. They don't
cost as much as they used to - under £1.000 now
- but that's still a lot of money, way above most
hobbyists' means. So if you cannot stretch to the
cost of PostScript you must resign yourself to the
fact that you cannot have WYSIWYG and soft fonts
and fast printouts. You can have fast printouts, but
not with WYSIWYG and soft fonts.
You must ask yourself which is more
important: fast printouts, or the ability to use
thousands of fonts in any size you like. Without
PostScript, you cannot have both. I should quickly
mention that the only word processor with good
enough PostScript printer support is Final Writer.
If it is printout speed you want, with as much
font flexibility as possible, then Protext reigns
supreme. No other Amiga word processor can take
full advantage of the fonts built into your printer.
True, you cannot have a WYSIWYG display, but
once you have accepted this fact and knuckled
down to getting used to living without it, you can
begin to exploit your printer. If your printer has (for
example) 25 fonts built into it, Protext will be able
to use them all, and you will be able to change
fonts and/or styles and/or colours mid paragraph,
mid line, mid word, mid whatever. If your printer
has different sizes of fonts, or limited scalable
fonts like the Epson Stylus printers. Protext can
handle that too. Again, there is no WYSIWYG, but
because Protext knows the widths and heights of
all the characters, the position of any character on
the page is reported accurately (in inches or
centimetres) in the Protext status line. So while
what's on the screen can sometimes look like a
mess, what gets printed is always what you expect
to get printed, and because Protext is using built-in
printer fonts, pages fly out of the printer as fast as
the printer can print them.
But most people want WYSIWYG and the ability
to load and print thousands of Compugraphic (CG)
or PostScript (PS) Type 1 scalable fonts. Fine.
Wordworth 3. Final Writer and Final Copy II support
both GG and PS fonts - Wordworth 2-AG A supports
just CG - and they will all enable you to mix and
match fonts, styles, colours and sizes anywhere on
the page you like. But as these fonts are not
resident in the printer, pages created in these word
processors must be printed as graphics, and that
takes much, much longer than printing with printer
fonts. It is not unusual for a single page of text
using a handful of fonts in a handful of sizes to
take as long as 30 minutes to print on a 68000
based Amiga. The only thing that can speed up the
printing of graphics is a faster processor - a
68020. 68030 or 68040 in other words. There is
no such thing as a faster printer driver, only a
program which is more efficient at printing
graphics. Final Writer and Final Copy II are a bit
faster at printing than the two IVordworths. Quality-
wise there is not much between these four for
printing text, but Final Writer and Final Copy II print
better IFF-ILBM graphics than both the Wordworths,
especially in colour, although the difference
between the Final Writer, Final Copy II and
IVoroVorf/i 3 is a magnifying glass job.
I haven't mentioned TeXtPlus Professional for a
long time so I should point out that it too will take
a while to print pages when used in conjunction
with a TeX because everything is printed as
graphics. The quality, like Final Writer, Final Copy II
and Wordworth 3, is superb, but you will have to be
prepared to wait for it. Without a TeX typesetting
system in tow, TeXtPlus Professional can take
some advantage of the fonts in your printer, but it
has not really been written with this use in mind so
it pales in comparison to Protext.
On other platforms better ways of printing soft
fonts and having WYSIWYG displays of printer fonts
have been invented, but the Amiga's printing
system has hardly changed since the first Amiga
rolled off the production line. A complete re-think is
required - Amiga printer drivers need to have
screen fonts built into them and need to be able to
image scalable soft fonts much more quickly - but
this is something that only the developers of the
Amiga can do in a future revision of Workbench. In
the meantime we will either have to suffer or vote
with our pockets.
IN CONCLUSION
There can be no doubt that Final Writer is the
FUTURE PLANS FOR THE AMIGA
We asked the developers of the
software for as long as there is
still developing as eagerly as
major Amiga word processors
a market."
ever for the Amiga."
what their reaction was to the
Jerry Rihll. Dlgfta International
latest conflagrations within
Ltd ( Wordworth): "It depends
As you can imagine, opinions
Commodore and how it would
on the reaction of the Amiga
were being reserved until the
affect the future development
community, and we will be
worst dust has settled, but the
of their products.
watching carefully what
good news is that no one has
Commodore UK does."
any plans to desert the Amiga,
Mark Tllley, Amor Ltd
Giles Harwood, Softwood
at least not as long as there
{Protext): "We will continue to
Products Europe [Final Writer,
still are Amiga users out there
maintain and develop Amiga
Final Copy, Pen Pat): "We are
willing to part with their money.
The prices quoted here are suggested retail
prices. Some of the packages are advertised at
cheaper prices than these, so do shop around.
Personal Write- £29.95
Meridian Software Distribution, East
House, East Road Ind Est. East Road.
London SW19 1AR.
» 081 543 3500
Pen Pal -£39.95
Final Copy II -£49.95
Final Writer- £74.95
Softwood Products Europe, New
Street. Alfreton. Derbys DE55 7BP.
■ 0773 521606
Protext -£152.75
Arnor Ltd, 611 Lincoln Road,
Peterborough PE1 3HA.
■ 0733 68909
Wordworth 2 - £49.95
Wordworth 3 - £149.95
Digita International Ltd, Black Horse
House. Exmouth EX8 1JL.
^B « 0395 270273
EdWord Professional - £10
Martin Reddy, Lossiemouth House,
33 Clifton Road, Lossiemouth. Moray
IV31 6DP.
(Send sae and blank disk for a demo
version).
WHOi
•WHAT
WHIM
TeXtPlus Professional - £20
Martin Steppler. Roermonder Str.
112a/69. D-52072 Aachen,
Germany.
(Demo version on Rsh Disk 973).
current king of the Amiga word processors. In text
editing features it is beaten only by Protext, which
has a 10 year pedigree don't forget, and apart from
its lack of printer font support (which is a
deliberate omission) Final Writer's only obvious
weakness lies in its spelling checker, which, while
trying to be helpful, often ends up being inane.
For instance, when Final Writer comes across
the word "expandable" it throws it out with the
message "Word is invalid, but is composed of a
valid prefix and/or suffix, plus a valid word (the
infix)." Come again? To save you losing sleep over
it. what this actually means is that Final Writer is
happy with "ex" as a prefix, happy with "able" as a
suffix, happy with "panda" as an infix, but not at all
happy with "expandable" as a word. Which is
strange because that's the preferred spelling in
both the OED and the Collins Dictionary of the
English Language. Wordworth throws out
"expandable" too, preferring, like Final Writer and
Final Copy II, the "ible" suffix, whereas Protext is
happy with "expandable" but knows no synonyms
for it, only for "expandible". Anyway, the point is
that I'm not sure it is necessary or wise for Final
Writer to defend its position when it suggests that
a word is misspelled.
But you can see that I am picking at nits, which
is a sure sign that I am having trouble finding fault
with a product. If ever there was a good reason to
buy a hard drive for your Amiga, Final Writer is that
reason. Amiga Word Processing has come of age
with Final Writer, and while it still cannot be
compared with the hallowed Microsoft Word, it is
clear that while Digita appear to have temporarily
lost their edge with Wordworth 3, Softwood have
their sights set firmly on providing us with power
and speed. ^D
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
18
AMIGA WORD PROCESSORS
DOCUMENT EOfTlNC
Multiple documents
Wordworth 3.0a
Yes
Wordworth 2-AGA
Yes
Freely cut/copy/paste between documents
Bookmarks (for quick goto)
Yes
Yes
Text only
Yes
i
Final Writer Rel 2
Yes
Yes
Yes
Timed autosave
Yes
Macros (record and replay multiple actions)
Yes
Yes
No
No
Glossary [auto insert co mmon phrase)
Yes
Vta ARexx scripts only
yes
Yes
Auto replace abbreviations as you type
WYSIWYG TYPE FACE SUPPORT
Yes
No
No
Style sheets (aka style tags)
Master pages
No
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
Page magn i fy/reduce
25-400°oin 1% steps
No
Facing pages (auto odd and even page margins) Yes
Editable facing pages on screen I Yes
Yes
8 preset levels from 25-400%
Yes
No
Automatic hyphenation
Multiple columns
Headers/Footers
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Endnotes/Footnotes
Endnotes only
Endnotes only
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Outline (condense docs to view headings)
No
No
Endnotes only
Yes
Independently movable text blocks
Yes
No
Independently movable tables
Yes
No
Undo/Redo
GRAPHICS
Undelete only
Undelete only
Yes
No
Yes
Embedded pnnter control codes
Use multiple pnnter fonts per document
Select pnnter font number lor document
Mix graphics and pnnter font
Landscape (90 degress rotated ) printing
P age preview
Scale bitmapped graphics to printer resolution Yes
Print graphics in maximum number of colours . Yes
Postscript support
Downloadable Postscnpt font suppcn
Postscnpt halftoning control/crop marks
SPELLING
British Dictionary^
Yes- 116.000 words
Yes- 116,000 words
Yes -110,370 words
British Thesaurus
Yes - 826,000 cross refs
Yes - 826,000 cross refs
Yes - 826,000 cross refs
User configurable exceptions dictionary
No
No
No
Correct all misspellings of same word in one go Yes
GENERAL
Conforms to Commodore GUI guidelines
Uses standard Amiga clipboard
Near enough
No
No
No
No
Near enough
No
Yes
Button stnps
Configurable user menu
Mail merge
One (user configurable)
One (user configurable)
No
Eight (user configurable)
No
Yes
Final Copy ii Rel 2
r«
Text only
Yes
No
Via ARexx scnpts only
No
No
On-screen pnnter fonts
I Yes
Yes !
No
No
On-screen Amiqa (bitmapped)fonts
Yes
Yes
No
No
On-screen outline (scalable) fonts
CG.Type 1, TrueType
CG
CG, Type I.NimbusQ
CG.Type I.NimbusQ
Number of outline fonts supplied
I 56
17
125
20
DOCUMENT LAYOUT
Yes
Yes
Yes
Auto create Index
Auto create TOC (table fo contents)
ARexx support
On-line help
VPS
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes - AmigaGuide
Yes - custom
No
UK technical support available
Kickstart required
Yes
Yes
Yes
Kickstart 2 or better
Kickstart 1.3 or better
Kickstart 2 or better
Import 70,000 word ASCII document
37 sees
70 sees
13 sees
Reformat 70.000word doc to new margins
89 sees
85 sees
29 sees
Find and replac e 750 wor ds in 70.000
Import HAM graphic (time until it's on-screen
290 sees
1 95 sees
52 sees
21 sees (HAMS:
30 sees (HAM8)
6 sees (HAM8)
8 preset levels from 25-400%
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
NO
No
No
Import ILBM qraphics
2-256 cols.HAM/8
2-256 cols.HAM/8
2-256 cols.HAM/8, IFF24
2-256 cols.HAM/8, IFF24
Import vector scalable) qraphics
GEM, CGM
No
EPS
No
On-screen PostScript (EPS) qraphics
1 No
No
I Yes
No
Support AGA chip set
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Resize/Crop
Resize only
Resize only
Yes
Yes
Vert)cal/Contour text flow
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Hide qraphics for quicker screen refresh
Yes
No
Yes
No
Snap to gnd
Directional restraint only
No
I Yes
Yes
Position by coordinates
Yes
No
Yes
! Yes
Scale to user defined measurements
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Vector drawinq tools
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Arrange depth of graphics
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
PRINTING
Yes- 110,370 words
Yes - 826,000 cross refs
No
No
Near enough
No
One (user contigurable)
No
Yea
No
N< ■
Yes
No
Yes
Kickstart 1.3 or better
Workbench required
Workbench 2 04 or better
Workbench 1 .3 or better
Workbench 2 04 or bene-
Workbenchl.3.3 or better
Memory requirements
2Mb minimum
1.5Mb minimum
1.5Mb minimum
1 Mb minimum
Disk dnve requirements
Two floppies minimum
Two floppies minimum
Hard drive requires
Two floppies minimum
SPEED TESTS (A4000/040)
13 sees
7 sees
30 sees
6 sees (HAMS)
Pen Pal 1.5
Protext 6
Personal Write 4
EdWordPro4.1
TextPlus Pro 5.01
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
None
None
None
None
None
2-64 (EHB)cols. HAM
Not WYSIWYG
Not WYSIWYG
No
Yestreq Jex.not WYSIWYG
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
Resize only (not WYSIWYG)
No
No
Resize only (requires TeX)
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
Directional restraint on y
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes(pixels only)
Not WYSIWYG
No
No
Yes (requires TeX)
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
Kickstart 1,2 or better
Kickstart 2 or better
Workbench 1 .2 or better
I Mb minimum
One floppy minimum
Workbench 2.04 or better
Kickstart 1.2 or better
Workbench 1 .2 or better
1 Mb minimum
512k minimum
One floppy minimum
One floppy minimum
Kickstart 1,2 or better
Workbench 1.3 or better
Kickstart 2 or better
Workbench 2.04 or better
512k minimum
2Mb minimum
One floppy minimum
Hard drive required
Would not load it
3 sees
, 4 sees
2secs
4 sees
So 1 couldn't reformat if...
21 sees
Under 1 sec
Not possible
Not somethinq you'd do
...or find and replace
3 sees
5 sees
33 sees
7 sees
| 20 sees (HAM)
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
!
20 WORD PROCESSING
for using
your
Bullets and drop caps; form letters and flush tabs; ornaments and
watermarks - Mark Smiddy is here to offer some vital guidance to
utterly confused, budding word processor operators.
Since the early days of desktop computer*,
word processing has been one of the most
popular uses. As with many modem
platforms the Amiga has a bewildering range of
word processors to choose from, but after you've
made that decision, what next? All word
processors are essentially the same thing; they
•Mow you to enter and correct text.
A word processor worthy of the name will, of
course, perform many other functions - such as
basic layout and spell checking. More advanced
word processors, like Wordworth and Final Writer
come close (and can equal in output quality) to that
of real desktop publishing systems. The dividing
line between what makes a word processor into a
document processor, or a document processor into
a desktop publishing system is thin and difficult to
define. For the purposes of simplicity, this feature
will cover just those engines specifically described
as word processors. Advice is intended to be
rwr~
W\
— t f >if*ir~i 'ir»;_i|
* - - *■ - ■ * - ■
<oww !C2 2>Q
Future Publnhrfig (Jd
» Mom*) far t
fcaM M
27ft J*HM
Dvftei
MftrViR*flfM)M.IIK|fcWM
-Mduinq iV coor of Affwgi Shcppe M W *ro«qh e
! n» «*e ta2Q yw ci fte Mure it it hadn't bf»
V.i \te ii*r>ng ^ rc* tuM K o< Hid %
■So mtkwg w iw InneL 'Ho* to coi Ham»»
Tin
1 LIU
rii«T
Selecting a single word In Wordworth 3.0a Is a
matter of positioning the l-bar and double-clicking.
Walt a second or so before attempting to drag
and drop, or you will select the entire screen line.
A completed form letter constructed In Wordworth
3.0a. You should note that the addressee's name
and address can be changed very easily by
selecting and over-typing It.
general and is not intended as a replacement for
the manual.
FORM LETTERS
In spite of suggestions made by purveyors of high-
power word processors, a very professional job can
be made with nothing more fancy than a simple
text editor and 9-pin impact dot-matrix printer.
Knowing my fondness for AmigaDOS, you might
expect me to suggest ED for this purpose. While
that is possible (and with Workbench 2, it's almost
conceivable) ED should be left doing what it's good
at: editing AmigaDOS programs.
The first thing you need to know is what you
want the document to look like; is it to be a
business letterhead or a simple note to Granny
Smith? Is it a formal or informal letter? Does it
need to follow some pre-defined format? Perhaps it
needs to fit on headed note paper. Don't forget
many small print shops and specialist stationers
JARGON BUSTING
Double-click - to press the left
characters at the printer's
marked with a flashing bar
mouse button twice in quick
graphics resolution and printing
(cursor), but some systems
succession.
a graphics dump. It's a bit like
allow this to be configured.
Downloadable Font - usually
printing from a paint package.
Overwrite - in this mode, text
only applies to Postscript
only much better.
entered at the current Insertion
printers. These fonts are extra
I-Bar - a special pointer
point replaces that already
to those already supplied with
shaped like the letter I used by
entered. Overwrite mode is
the engine and are sent down
word processors to indicate
rarely very useful and should
the printer cable before the
text mode. The insertion point
not be confused with the
document is printed.
can be moved to any point in
overwrite mode of a
Drag - to move the mouse
the text (inside words for
manual/electric typewriter.
while holding the left mouse
instance) by positioning the 1-
Printer Font - native typeface
button.
bar and clicking once.
resident in the printer. Many
Graphic Font - type style
Insertion point - point at which
printers have fonts available.
obtained by drawing the
text entry starts. This is usually
usually selected from software.
Working on the address heading for the form
letter. Tabs have been added, but not set to flush
the sender's address against the right margin.
The selected text Is being adjusted as a block.
can supply reams of personalised A5 letterheads
at very low-cost. This, in particular, is worth
investigating because not only does it add to the
clarity and professionalism, it has a certain "snob"
value which cannot be ignored.
PRINTER MARGINS
If you are starting with a clean sheet (tractor or
form fed) everything has to be entered. On the
other hand, if you are working on pre-printed
letterheads, you will have to allow some space for
the existing design. The first problem you will have
to work around is the finite print area your printer is
capable of. It's no good attempting to print in the
top half-inch or bottom inch of the sheet-fed paper
on most printers; it simply isn't possible.
The actual dimensions are printer specific, but
you should imagine an invisible border around the
outside of each page; the printer's manual should
give some specifics. If your printer's manual is
vague (or lost), a simple test page will give you
some idea. Here's how to do it for sheet-fed paper.
This Is your screen when the dummy addressee
and return addresses have been entered. Note
that the date has a single tab before It.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
WORD PROCESSING 2 1
t* rea west ana Sons
Invotca
fell Oatctan 1 Isoscf Crtnr
ToU
C0'2 | l^vftrO
002* thwpoe
?
1
3
i::
125
1X22
1234
250
10023
3702
1
&J*0
Mi 17.5%
TaUrsrtje
54374
2115
S3BN
A completed Invoice built In Final Writer. Five
transparent boxes have been positioned over the
tabulated text to highlight the Individual sections.
Notice how this entire document gets by with just
four, right-flushed tab stops.
the most troublesome variety:
Locate the Printer margins setup configuration.
In Final Writer this can be found under
"Layout. ..Page" and in Wordworth 3 it's under
"Project. ..Print Setup". Now select the page size
and paper type you will be using, and set all border
values to zero. Now enter a page full of letters -
capital "H" is a good one. (Enter a line and use
Copy and Paste to speed the operation).
Position the paper as you would normally and print
one copy; if you're using a printer font/graphic print
capable engine like Wordworth. it's important to
use the mode you will actually use - the graphics
print area may differ slightly from the text print
area. Use a ruler to measure the effective print
borders for the top. bottom, left and right margins.
You don't have to be pin-point accurate, but ensure
that the measurement starts from the top (or
bottom) of the page and ends at the first fully
printed line. Enter those figures in your
print/document setup and save them.
If you intend using windowed envelopes, you can
use this test page to work out the position of
required tab stops (discussed below) for the
address panel.
TABULATION
With form letters, tabulation is all important. It's
amazing how many people still attempt to use
spaces to flush text against the right-hand margin.
By convention, the return address of any letter
should be positioned at the top right of the page
and the mail receiver's at the top left. Use your
word processor to enter the following text, pressing
the tab key where indicated by <TAB>:
Fred Bloggs<TAB>Future Publishing Ltd.
23a West Avenue<TAB>30 Monmouth Street
Bishops Stoughton<TAB>BATH
Somerset S02 2ED<TAB>Avon BA1 2BW
<TAB>27th June 1994
Select the entire block of text as shown and
insert a flush-right tab in the ruler. (This example is
shown using Wordworth 3. but the technique is
similar in most word processors). Drag the tab over
to the extreme right-hand border and the entire
block of text will follow neatly aligned as shown.
This operation affects all the tabs in the selection
and ensures that all follow the same move
Now de-select the text by clicking away from it
and enter a blank line below. Now enter the
following: <TAB>Amiga Shopper Time Warp and
place a centred tab above the text. Note how the
ruler affects only the current paragraph: that is
everything up to the carriage return or the entire
selection.
If you are using a windowed envelope you can
add extra tabs at the start of each line for the
addressee like this:
<TAB>Fred Bloggs<TAB>Future Publishing Ltd.
a
SELECTING TEXT
Text selection in the majority of
WYSIWG word processors,
including the Wordworth series,
Final Copy and Final Writer use
a dragging system. Selection
starts from the current
insertion point and moves with
the "I bar". Contrary to popular
belief, you don't have to follow
the text word-by-word: an entire
paragraph can be selected by
dragging up or down. The
Wordworth series are very slow
at performing this operation:
leisurely mouse actions are in
order here until you get used to
the speed.
Slightly improved selection
facilities are available in some
systems. For example,
Wordworth selects a single
word by double clicking the I-
bar over it and the entire
screen line (not the sentence)
by triple clicking. Final Writer
selects a single word with a
double click, but once a
selection has been made it can
be extended by Shift-Clicking.
That is, selecting some text,
moving (say) to the end of the
document and holding either
Shift key while clicking. Live
scrolling is supported by both
these systems, so you can
extend the selection by
dragging off the top or bottom
of the screen. However, if your
word processor has a "Select
All" function (on the Edit menu)
this is a lot faster than
dragging.
A number of operations can
be performed on selected text
(depending on the application),
although there will be at least
Cut, Copy and Paste. Both Final
Writer and Wordworth support
automatic section replacement.
That is, you select a word or
phrase to be replaced and
enter the new one directly.
There is no need to use Cut;
you can even Paste into a
selection and replace it. The
Delete key serves the same
purpose, but the text is nof
copied to the clipboard. In
addition. Final Writer supports
Shift-Cursor selections. Under
this scheme you hold Shift
while moving the cursor, and
the text is selected. Words or
paragraphs, and so on. can
simply be selected using the
movement shortcuts in
combination with this.
Finally. Wordworth 3 has an
optional operation called "Drag
and Drop' editing. This
technique can be difficult to
master, but is faster than Cut
and Paste. In essence, you
simply make a selection, pick it
up with the mouse and move it
to a new point in the
document. Drag and Drop
works best when a small
amount of text (a word or
sentence) is being moved
around inside the current
screen. The key to getting it
right, is watching where the
spaces are. For instance, if you
double-click a word, the space
after the word is included in the
selection. When this text is
"dropped" it has to be
positioned immediately before
the word it precedes, after the
existing space, it definitely
takes some practice to get it
absolutely right.
X
mhis is a dropped capital. An or named
books. Used sparingly il can be very
commonly found in old biblical ksq
effective. However, ii can be dffikuh to get
■i
A simple drop-cap placed In Wordworth. This
example used drawing tools and a text frame in
Wordworth3.0a.
<TAB>23a West Avenue<TAB>30 Monmouth Street
<TAB>Bishops Stoughton<TAB>BATH
<TAB>Somerset S02 2ED<TAB>Avon BA1 2BW
<TAB><TAB>27th June 1994
Note that m the last line, you'll need two tabs to
start the line off - even though there is no text
between them. This ensures that the program
positions the text at the correct tab stop. Select
the address block once more and insert a flush-left
tab at near the left margin. This should sort out the
apparent confusion.
You may also have to lower the address by a
line or two to get it to fit correctly inside the
window; the fastest way to do this is to lower the
printer's top margin, typically around 1.5 inches. A
better option (if your word processor supports it) is
to set the space above (space before) in the
Paragraph options. Keep in mind the printer may
already be imposing a full inch at the top of the
page, so you'll only need an extra inch of space.
Click inside the top address line and insert the
space. This technique is highly efficient because it
is not sensitive to font changes, etc. (Note, Final
Writer does not support space before/after
paragraph). When you have constructed the
standard letter in this way and got it to your
satisfaction, it should be saved in a special
directory - "Templates" is a good name. This
makes it easy to find at a later date.
TABLES
Tables are standard with Wordworth 3, but there's
nothing to say that a good table cannot be
constructed with tabs and simple drawing tools.
The example shown here in Final Writer uses just
five boxes to give the impression of many ruled
lines. More importantly, only four tabs are required
for the whole document. When figures are being
used, it is usual to assume that decimal tabs can
get the effect, but this is not always the case; this
document only uses right-flushed tabs! The main
5i
Font Check: Dingbats 100
fr-m -»)*-* -»*i*ttX**A(J**+
)t*0 >+•;:-♦♦ Sf •!
Font Check: Math Roman Serq
rAGAEnsTwvacjl his
Font sheets such as this one In Wordworth 2
make light work of locating those awkward
symbols and ornaments.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
22 WORD PROCESSING
text is entered like this:
Stock<TAB>Description<TAB>Number
off<TAB>Cost Each<TAB>Total
Right-flush tabs are positioned at 2.75". 4", 5.5"
and 7" using an A4 page. The boxes were added
later and lined up by eye. If your word processor
does not support such graphics, you can add the
lines if necessary, but in practice they are not
usually required. Such forms will usually be printed
on a standard three-part carbon copy.
ORNAMENTS
A word processed document is not a Christmas
tree. That may sound like an attempt at humour,
but you wouldn't thinh so to look at some
attempts. The key to good word processing is like
advertising, get the message across clearly,
succinctly and quickly. No matter how good the text
is. you don't want to confuse the reader with lots of
changing fonts, style and a messy layout. However,
good use of ornaments and indentation can make
a complex document a lot easier to read. The most
basic form of ornament is the bullet point. This is
used to list a series of points where paragraph
numbering may be difficult or is inappropriate. Final
Writer hns « bullet style built In, but many other
word processors do not. If your word processor is
using a printer font, you may be restricted to using
the asterisk (*) to mark each point; otherwise you
may find a suitable symbol tucked away with a
supplied font. Zapf Dingbats are included with
many packages for just this purpose. A sample font
sheet is useful to pick the one you need quickly.
Producing the sheet is a simple matter of
entering all the letters on the keyboard with the
combinations of upper and lower case, plus the
ALT and ALT-Shift combinations. Make sure you
have at least one space between each character.
Once done, the whole block is selected and
changed to one of the decorative/ornament fonts.
If you have more than one decorative font, it may
be useful to perform the operation for each one.
Wordworth 2, for instance, is supplied with three
sets of Zapf Dingbats.
When you are working with a document that
requires bullets or ornaments, you only have to
load the ornament document and use Copy and
Paste to copy any symbol into the current file.
Adding spaces between each symbol enables you
to select them simply as a "word" (using a double-
click, in Wordworth) and paste them in easily.
INDENTS
Indents are useful when you have a point to make
- even if you have highlighted the point with a
bullet or other ornament. Perhaps you have a list of
named paragraphs; the question panel on page 97
is a truly classic example. Hanging indents allow
the descriptive text to stand off the item name
without confusing the issue and they're surprisingly
WORD PROCESSING DOs AND DON'Ts
Do: Read the manual supplied
with your system. This might
sound obvious, but how do you
expect a technical support,
person to help if you can't help
yourself!
Do: Use tabs. Learn how the
tab system works in your word
processor and use it. It's a lot
simpler to move a tab than it is
to delete a lot of extra white
space.
Do: Use decimal tabs if you're
formatting a table of figures.
This might mean having to add
leading or trailing zeros, but it
will look better in the end.
Do: Use special emphasis
sparingly. There is little point
trying to emphasise a word if it
gets lost among a lot of others
in the same sentence,
paragraph or page.
Do: Construct a series of "form
letters" or "templates'. These
are blank documents with
some information such as
addresses filled in. Similarly, if
your system has an
automatically updating date
facility, then use it!
Do: Use Cut, Copy and Paste.
The greatest thing with word
processors is the ability to
move text "en-masse" around a
document; be it a single word,
sentence or a group of
paragraphs. Nothing is set in
stone until you hit the Print
button.
Do: Learn the keyboard
shortcuts. I know these can be
a chew, but a least learn basic
ones such as skip word or
paragraphs, and the editing
functions.
Do: Use italics and bold for
emphasis. The initial
appearance of your documents
gives the reader an instant feel
for what it is you are trying to
put across. You should pick
one style for emphasis (bold),
and another for picking out
words (italics).
Do: Save your work regularly. If
your system has the option for
automatic timed saves,
consider using that. Speaking
from experience, there's
nothing like losing hours of
work because someone from
the electricity board cuts a
power line in the middle of the
night - it can happen!
Do: Use named "style sheets"
If your word processor supports
them. They make working with
the text a lot easier if you want
to make global changes without
upsetting a lot of manual
formatting.
Don't: Use underline for
emphasis. Underlining is an
ugly hangover from the manual
typewriter and it should be
avoided at all costs, unless you
want to give the impression
that the document was
manually typed, in which case
you'll have to use a daisy
wheel or golf-ball printer.
Don't: Use more than two or
three fonts in the same
document. This is a cardinal
rule that every beginner breaks
when handed a document
processor with many fonts.
Some even try the same trick
with printer fonts, although the
result is less apparent. Use
emphasis to stress a point, but
don't go barmy.
Don't: Try to move text around
by padding it out with spaces.
This is a sure-fire recipe for
failure, especially if your final
print-out uses a proportionally
spaced font.
Don't: Mix word-processed
right-hand margin justification
with a proportional printer font
- it won't work.
Don't: Enter carriage returns at
the end of every line. Unlike
manual typewriters, word
processors will calculate the
line wrap for you and adjust
spacing accordingly. One
exception to this is when you
are exporting the file to a
database or similar application.
Don't: Type as if you were
using a typewriter - slow and
easy. Since you can go back
and correct things later, you
can afford to make one or two
spelling errors (or typos) per
line and fix them before
printing.
Hanging Indents: Hang your paras
points that need
this effect is a m
* Bullet points:
are a good reasc
. Ci" ■ ff ' -^
Hanging indents can be produced in most word
processors. Use the right indents and the size of
font used will not influence the effect too much.
easy to create. Final Writer already has the
capability built-in (which is just as well, because
the system is not quite conventional).
In most word processors with a graphic ruler you'll
see the left margin is defined by a split arrow. You
can move both together by dragging the bottom
half: but the upper part is free. These markers
define the absolute left and first line indents for the
current paragraph or selection.
To produce a basic hanging indent, these
markers have to be moved so the upper half (first
line) is at the left border, and the bottom half (left
indent) is part way into the document. In
conventional word processors you can enter the
measurements directly {Wordworth has this feature
too). The left indent may be something like one
inch and the first line is always of the same
magnitude, but negated - minus one inch in this
case. A single left flush tab stop should be added
at the position of the left indent - one inch again.
With this in position, you can enter introductory
text, followed by a tab. followed by the character.
The word processor does the rest for you.
It is important to note that in Final Copy/Writer.
negative indents are not supported in the same
way. For these systems the left indent should be
set to the indent amount and the first line indent to
zero. The single tab stop is set at the position of
the left indent.
DROPPED CAPITALS
Dropped Capitals, or "drop caps" as they are more
usually called, can be useful to introduce a chapter
or section: but they must be used sparingly - not
least because they are a beast to place. There are
several approaches to inserting a drop cap. and the
simplest is to use an in-line graphic. The graphic
can be created in DPamt or other art package,
imported using the usual method and saved as a
brush - this keeps the image size down. The
standoff should be set about 0.1 inches with
vertical flow. Some experimentation may be needed
to get the size right - by convention three or four
lines are usually used as shown at the beginning of
this article. If you're particularly artistic, you could
even dress the drop cap in colour as appeared in
the old Christian bibles. This method can be fiddly
because you will have to create a brush for every
letter of the alphabet. Each letter should be about
30 points high for a typical three line drop.
The graphics approach is simple, but it does
not get the best resolution since the letter is an
image (as opposed to an outline). A trickier
solution is to use a text frame - available in Final
Writer and Wordworth 3 - and use it in exactly the
same way as you would use an image. The added
advantage of this technique is that it is much
faster to change the letter at some later date!
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
WORD PROCESSING 23
WATERMARKS
A very professional effect can be gained in the
Final Writer series by dropping repeating text or
pictures behind the main text. (The lingo describes
such an effect as a watermark because it appears
to run through the paper). Typically this is used in
presentation documents with a thematic image
running behind the text. For instance, a medical
document might have an image of stethoscopes or
a doctors bag.
The best way to achieve the effect is to select
the right master page (or left master for facing
paged documents) and enter the watermark in that.
If you want to use a text theme, the text should be
entered in a frame and coloured to at least 90 or
even 95 percent white. Make sure you switch the
text repulsion off and set the background to
transparent.
The frame can then be repeated all over the
page or expanded to fit; it depends on the effect
you want. An image can be used to accomplish
this, but it must be re-coloured in something like
DPaint or Art Department so it is made up from a
few. very faint greys. If the image is left in full
colour or uses dark greys, it will clash with the text
and make it difficult to read.
These effects are not possible in the
Wordworth series because they place images in
front of text, not behind it. You can make a rough
approximation in Wordworth 3 using a text frame in
front of a watermarking image; It's a bit trickier to
get it right though.
The big downfall of watermarking is that it
requires either a colour printer or very high-
resolution graphics printer to work well. It is
unlikely that a 9-pin will work well (if at all) and 24-
pin engine is probably the minimum. Note also that
ink-jets aren't good at producing such light shades
because the ink dots can run into each other.
COMMERCIAL PRINTING
There comes a time when conventional printing -
even using a laser - just isn't fast enough. You
may. for instance, want to produce a leaflet or
newsletter to distribute to 500 or more people.
Clearly it isn't practical to use a simple dot-matrix
printer for this sort of thing. Many word processors
now have the ability to output Postscript files, but
despite what you may have read, it's not that cut
and dried. For instance, if your fonts are not
compatible with the printer, or worse, if the
measurements for some fonts are different, you
may get a re-flow on the image setter.
A very cost effective solution to all these
problems is to produce the pages - called
"artwork" in the trade - yourself. Commercial
printers can't work miracles and the quality of the
final result will depend on how good the initial
artwork is. However, you may be able to use
several colours as spot artwork; for example, black
text and red headings - even if you use a
monochrome printer like a laser engine.
If the work is printed on a glossy art paper, the
results can be very impressive. With Final Writer's
ability to print sideways, you will be able to take
advantage of several folding methods such as Z-
fold or gate fold to increase the number of
"pages". Before attempting any of this though,
check that your local printer can use "customer
supplied artwork" on A4 sheets. For a multi-colour
print job. you will need to include registration and
crop marks. This isn't all pie-in-the-sky - I've done
it several times and thousands of Amiga users
have seen the full-colour results.
Basic colour work is simpler than you might
SAFETY AND COMFORT
Do: Make sure the desk you're
using is at a comfortable height
for the keyboard and ensure
you can see the monitor
clearly. About 45 cm (18") is a
comfortable eye-screen
distance for most monitors.
Do: Leave plenty of room for
the mouse and some space to
rest your wrists on. This will
avoid (or lessen the chance) of
something nasty like
back/shoulder strain or RSI.
It's also a lot more comfortable
m the short term.
Do: Work on a comfortable
chair that is positioned at the
right height. An adjustable one
is best if several members of
the family use it.
Do: Turn the monitor's
brightness down slightly. When
correctly adjusted the black
border around the picture
should be just that (not some
pale grey). Similarly, ensure the
contrast and colour settings (if
fitted) do not cause flaring.
Don't: Use a domestic
television for word processing!
Although this is the best many
of you will be able to afford,
such equipment is rarely up to
the job. Make a good quality
monitor a first priority (even
above the printer) or you will be
in for serious eye strain and
headaches.
Don't: Sit at the keyboard for
extensive periods of time.
Although this advice applies
primarily to touch-typists, it can
effect anyone. The effect on
eyesight and effective stress is
cumulative - take regular
breaks. Give your eyes a rest
by focusing on something far
away at least once every 20
minutes. This applies even if
you are constantly looking back
to the keyboard.
Don't: Sit with your back to. or.
directly facing a window.
Reflected light causes eye
strain and incident light behind
the monitor reduces contrast
leading to "monitor blindness".
Both conditions are temporary,
but the potential long-term
effects are not fully explored.
rinaTlfrtttr - ItWctt ? • Itfa 1
i.jjfraiifciirii.f.r
-E5.
^
T
I
I
Issue #23 rvn mu «c
JnlNsiraue- Plus: Howboucton
« How lo: Prinl in colour jowgwndmoiher
« Review; Epsom ZX81 lor cosfi & profits!
♦ Interview; Bnck Dontels Shock; Commodore folds!
♦ Feature: Homslers Blob: in qernion over
A three colour document showing all the text In
place. This looks horrible on screen but the final
colours are determined by the print shop.
imagine and involves producing a series of two or
more "plates". Full colour printing uses four plates:
Cyan. Yellow. Magenta and Black, but that is
beyond the scope of simple printers. For this type
of work you'll need something like a 3000DPI
image setter. Let's assume you're going to
produce a simple document with three text colours
(plus white for the paper). You can use additive
colours, but you'll need to check with printer to see
which colours will mix correctly.
Before starting, bring the text area in an extra
0.5 inches around the printer's border; this will
give you some room for the registration marks. The
document is constructed and the text set in its
SCREEN DPI
Final Copy and Final Writer have an interesting
option to adjust the calculated resolution of the
screen. The factory setting for these is 80x72
which gives an approximate correction for the
Amiga's over-square pixels. This explains why
the rulers never seem to match up with each
other (the same applies in Wordworth) as the
program corrects the output by stretching it
vertically. Adjusting these values upwards can
give a staggering amount of magnification over
the 400 per cent offered as standard. The
example shown is set to 400 per cent with the
screen set to 320x288. The settings can be
unique for each open document on the same
display: the text in the main window is, in truth,
about 1.5 millimetres tall!
final colours. Stick to simple colours - the screen
rendition will be nothing like what the printer will
finally produce. Use the same three colours (I used
black, blue and red) to draw boxes and other
ornaments: but don't try anything too flashy.
Now use the drawing tools (or import some
graphics) around the printable area to act as
registration marks. They don't need to be too
complex, but they must be there to allow the
printer to line the plates up correctly on the press.
Also, they must be in some colour that is always
printed; that is one you're not using in the
document.
Printing this type of document is slightly more
difficult than normal. In order to produce each
"plate" you need to make two of the three colours
white - so that they won't print. Print the document
in black and white at the best resolution, reset the
colours and continue until you have three plates -
each with a black image where the colour will go.
Mark each "plate" on the back to indicate what
colour it represents and take them to the printer to
do the rest! Printing leaflets with special folding
techniques, such as Z-Fold. is possible using Final
Writer's "Wide" orientation in the page setup. The
document is set for three columns, with the print
borders set to maximum. If your printer cannot
print edge-to-edge (many cannot), the document will
have to be scaled upwards after printing by photo-
enlargement.
A commercial printer will be able to advise you
on the exact amount, but it is worth getting a full-
sized A4 image reduced to fit inside your printer's
borders. You can use this to work out the exact
margins for the editable area: this is very important
because the three columns define the actual
"pages". Wider than normal column gutters - at
least 0.3 inches - are the order of the day if the
folds are going to fall accurately.
CONCLUSION
As I hope to have proved in this short introduction,
modern word processors are a lot more powerful
than first meets the eye. A little bit of thought and
imagination is all it takes to make an average
document into a great one: or a basic flyer into a
professional leaflet. Don't be put off by the
professionals with their high-powered Macintosh
machines and 1200DPI laser printers. This may be
a cliche, but never did a phrase apply more than it
does here - "It's the thought that counts". ©
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
24 REVIEW
It's here at last, the
mother of all
Amigas - the
Amiga 4000T.
Graeme Sandiford
finds out what it
can do.
The A4000T Is Commodore's newest high-
end machine; as you might expect, It's
based on the Amiga 4000. Commodore's
engineers have worked long and hard to produce
an Amiga 4000 with more room for you to add
pretty much all the peripherals you are likely to
need. Here we take a look at this new wonder
machine to see how much more It has to offer
than the standard 040 based 4000. As we have
not reviewed the 4000 before, we'll also provide
some general Information about Ms capabilities.
The Amiga 4000 has already established itself
as an incredibly powerful, versatile and expandable
all-purpose computer. It has been built from the
ground up to be able to produce high-quality
graphics. Its success has been made evident by
the use of the Amiga in the film industry, as well as
a number of multimedia projects. The AGA-chipset
has brought phenomenal graphics power to both
the Amiga 1200 and 4000. It is therefore
unsurprising that Commodore have stuck with the
same graphics configuration.
THE CHIPS ARE DOWN
So what is so special about the AGA-chipset? One
major difference between the AGA-chipset and
previous Amiga graphics displays
is the number of colours that can
be displayed. AGA-Amigas can
also choose from a larger range
of colours. They can select any
of nearly 16,8 million colours -
this is a vast improvement over
the 4096 colours that were on
offer previously. Standard
Amigas can display 32 colours at
low resolution and only 16 while
in high resolution mode. AGA
machines can now display 256
colours (8-bit quality), and can do
this while in all of the new
screen resolutions.
However, these are only the
standard graphics modes of the
Amiga. One of the main reasons
the Amiga has made such a
great impact In the graphics world is its special
HAM (Hold And Modify) mode. This mode can
handle even more colours - up to 4096 on a
standard Amiga and a maximum of 256,000 on an
AGA machine. This new mode is known as HAM-8,
and at times its images are almost
indistinguishable from full 24-bit ones. The images
you can display approach near photographic
quality.
The new screen resolutions also improve the
quality of the images that can be displayed. The
AGA-chipset retains all of the earlier screen
resolutions, both the NTSC and PAL ones, and
adds a few more of its own. Among the new screen
sizes are the SuperHires modes - these are
1280x265 non-interlaced and 1280x512
interlaced. There are several different new modes
between the old ones and the SuperHires modes,
such as the Super72 modes that include VGA-like
modes such as 800x600. Another advantage of
possessing an AGA Amiga is the flicker free modes.
The DoubleNTSC/PAL modes can produce screen
resolutions of the same size of interlaced screens,
but without the headache-inducing flicker normally
created. However, to take advantage of these
flicker free modes you will need to invest In a
monitor that can cope with the Amiga's new
modes, such as Commodores own 1942 monitor or
Microvitec's new Pro-Graphic multi sync monitor.
0)5
The 4OO0T has plenty of additional
ports for connecting peripherals.
The AGA-chipset represents excellent value
when compared with most 24-bit graphics boards.
While using 24-bit graphics will allow you to create
images with more colours and higher resolutions,
they do cost a substantial amount more and the
results will not appear that much superior. If you
won't be using your Amiga for professional work
you are unlikely to notice the difference in quality
between AGA and 24-bit images.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
It must be said that, despite appearing a little PC-
like, the 4000T is pretty dam attractive with its talt
elegant shape, fancy looking ventilation grooves
and removable smoky plastic front cover. At the
same time the casing manages to give an
impression of restrained power. It also looks more
than a little like something out of a 1980's sci-fi
film. But don't worry, it's not likely to become
psychotic and start killing members of your family
in a series of what appear to be accidents, as
things usually do tn these types of films. It has
quite a small footprint as it measures seven inches
across and 19 deep. You can easily place it at the
side of your desk, and as its height is
approximately 21 inches, you might even try putting
it under your desk.
Once you have removed the
plastic cover you'll be treated to a
view of the machine's multiple
drive bays. These 5.25-inch drive
bays can be used to house a
vanety of drives such as floppy
drives. CD-ROM drives or even
hard drives. The 4000T comes
with five drive bays, compared
with the standard 4000's two
bays. One of the two drive bays in
a standard 4000 is occupied by
the internal floppy drive. With the
4000T two of the five bays are
already taken up. One is filled with
the internal floppy drive, the other
with the machine's hard drive.
This leaves another three bays
free for additional drives. This
should be more than enough for most people's
requirements. However, another of the bays could
have been made available if the hard drive was
placed further back in the casing. As you don't
need frequent access to a hard drive, as you would
with a floppy or CD-ROM drive, there is no real
reason for having it so close to the front panel.
WORKBENCH REVISIONS
Many Amiga users have been eagerly awaiting
version 3.1 Workbench; unfortunately you will have
to wait a little while longer as the 4000T only
comes with version 3. However, the differences
between version 3 and earlier Workbench versions
can, at times, be huge.
In essence Workbench 3 is similar to an
enhanced version of Workbench 2.1. Version 2.1 of
Workbench is easily one of the best environments
to be found on any computing platform. As
Commodore has made such a good job of creating
version 2.1, there has been very little for them to
improve on. The main enhancements have been
made to facilitate the AGA-chipset.
One of the new features of Workbench 3 is
being able to display 256-cotour IFF files as both a
Workbench or window backdrop. Any serious
reason for this new ability escapes me. but it's
great for showing off the graphics abilities of the
AGA machines. One of the more practical
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
REVIEW 25
improvements is the Locale Preference editor. You
can use this editor, in conjunction with language
libraries, to determine in which language messages
and text displays appear. Not only can this new
function be used with the pop-up messages
displayed on the Workbench, the language libraries
can also be used by software developers to help in
tailoring the products to a wider international
market.
If you regularly exchange files with Macintosh
and PC-owners, you'll welcome the inclusion of
CrossDOS. This handy program can be used to
format and write to IBM compatible disks.
Enhancements have also been made to the printer
preferences editor, the most notable being direct
support for PostScript printers. There are a number
of new monitor and printer drivers that have been
added as well. Another particularly useful addition
is the use of DataTypes. DataTypes can be used
with programs that have been designed to utilise
them, to add file import or export formats. This can
be especially useful for graphics programs, or even
word processors. One of the programs that exploit
DataTypes is MultiView. It can be used to view all
manner of files, as long has you have the correct
DfllflTypc. These Include graphics flies, text and
even the new AmigaGuide hypertext formatted
documents supplied with most programs.
To make the most of Workbench 3 you will
need to purchase an AGA Amiga, but there are
enough benefits to be gained from upgrading from
earlier versions to version 2.1. It will make your
Amiga, and the applications you run on it, operate
a lot more efficiently and even more attractively.
THANKS FOR THE MEMORY
With all these new spiffy hires and HAM-8 graphics
modes, great demands are made on the Amiga's
memory. To meet these demands both the 4000
and 4000T come supplied with a total of 6Mb of
memory. 2Mb of the memory supplied is Chip RAM,
sometimes called graphics memory. Chip RAM is
the area of memory that is used to display images.
As AGA pictures can be larger and contain more
colour information, their size is often much larger
and this means that you will need more Chip RAM
to display the image. The remaining 4Mb of
memory is Fast RAM - this type of memory can be
used for general purposes.
6Mb of memory is a fairly respectable amount,
but if you are going to use a computer for serious
graphics tasks, such as image manipulation or 3D
graphics, you will sooner or later need to expand
the amount of memory you have. Given this almost
inevitable need for more memory, the maximum
amount of memory you can add, with or without
additional boards, is an important factor to
consider. Both the 4000 and 4000T can be
expanded to 18Mb without the need for additional
memory boards. They can also be upgraded to a
maximum of 1.7Gb with extra memory boards -
more than enough for most people! It's a shame
that Commodore didn't increase the standard
memory configuration. The 4000T is obviously
aimed at the high-end Amiga-user, and they are
certainly going to need more memory.
FOR THE POWER-USER
A power-user is also likely to need to expand their
Amiga in other areas as well as memory. The ease
with which the Amiga can be expanded is another
of its strong points. You can add a variety of
additional hardware, such as graphics cards, sound
cards, hard disk controllers and memory expansion
boards.
m jk jk, &±^ ** r^i" ^* ^*
4000T SPECS
Central Processing Unit:
25MHz
Motorola 86LC040 (upgradable)
Standard Memory configuration
: 2Mb Chip RAM
and 6Mb Fast RAM (32-bit)
Maximum onboard Memory:
18Mb
Maximum Memory:
1.7Gb
Zorro III Expansion Slots:
Rve
PC/AT Slots:
Four
Video Expansion Slots:
Two
Graphics Chipset:
AGA
The Amiga's expansion slots are also called
Zorro slots. The previous versions of high-end
Amigas have come equipped with Zorro types I and
II slots. The Amiga 4000 comes with type III slots -
these are still compatible with most type II boards,
but can also handle newer and faster boards such
as SCSI II controllers (more on these later).
To allow all of these wonderful expansion
boards to be fitted you will need to make room for
them, and provide additional expansion slots. The
4000T's tall casing has plenty of extra room; there
is plenty of space for expansion slots as well as
the additional drive bays. The 4000T has five Zorro
slots and four PC/AT slots as well as an additional
Video slot. As with the standard 4000. most of the
4000T's Zorro PC/AT slots are positioned side-by-
side - this usually means you cannot insert a
PC/AT board next to a Zorro-based expansion
board. This is not as much of a hindrance as you
might imagine, as there aren't too many boards
that make use of the PC/AT slots, and all of the
five Zorro slots are unlikely to be used at once.
One of the more positive aspects of the
arrangement of the expansion slots is that one of
the Zorro slots, the bottom one, has a video
expansion slot next to it. This is particularly useful
for developers of graphics boards; they can
manufacture a single board that connects with both
the video slot and the Zorro slot.
With the addition of type III Zorro slots, the
Amiga 4000 has the ability to make use of SCSI II
controllers. However, this has been an optional
extra - you would have had to purchase the
controller separately, such as GVP's. This is no
longer the case as the 4000T comes with a SCSI II
controller built in. The advantage of a SCSI II
controller is that it can transfer information at a
faster speed than the standard SCSI controller.
This is something that you would really appreciate
if you have large amounts of data to transfer, and
expect to see plenty of new devices to take
advantage of this added speed.
The 4000T is fitted with 25MHz 68LC040
processor as standard. If the sheer brute
processing power of the 040 chip is not enough for
you (some people are never satisfied), be glad of
another bit of design foresight on the part of
Commodore's designers. The 4000's CPU is not
located on the motherboard, as on previous
Amigas; it's located on a separate plug-in board.
Thanks to this, if you wish to upgrade your
processor at a later date, you can simply plug in a
new one.
The floppy dhve. mentioned earlier on, is not
only capable of accepting normal capacity disks. It
also supports the use of High Density floppy disks
which can contain up to 1.7Mb of data. This is
once again particularly useful for handling large
HAM-8 and 24-bit images.
DESIGN TRIUMPH, OR
DEBACLE?
So, how does the 4000T measure up? Will it meet
the needs of the most power-hungry of Amiga-
users? As we mentioned before, the main reason
for the introduction of the 4000T is to provide more
room for expansion. Well, the men and women at
Commodore with unusually large foreheads have
certainly done a good job in this department.
But is the 4000T really the ultimate Amiga; and
if you are searching for a new machine, is this the
one for you? The Amiga 4000T offers more power
and greater room for expansion, as standard, than
any other Amiga. Perhaps, though, they should
have included a bit more RAM. This system is
obviously aimed at those who intend to use their
Amigas professionally. If you are looking to upgrade
your existing Amiga, for your personal use, you are
probably better off purchasing and expanding an
Amiga 1200. There are now numerous expansion
options for the 1200 and its processing speed
can be increased enough to match that of a 4000
030. However, a dedicated enthusiast might
consider upgrading to a 4000 030 for its
expandability. In conclusion the 4000T is an
impressive machine, but one whose purchase is
only justifiable by a professional. ©
The 4000T has plenty of room for expansion. It has
five Zorro type III slots, four PC/AT slots, as well
two video expansion slots.
CHECKOUT
4000T
Expandability 95%
Compared with the standard Amiga 4000. the 4000T
has a lot more room (or expansion. There are an extra
three drive bays, an additional video expansion slot and
two more Zorro III slots. It would have been nice if the
amount of orvboard memory had also been increased.
Speed 90%
The A40OT is the same, performance wise, as the
4000 040. This should be more than fast enough for
most people's needs. If it Isn't, you can add an
accelerator or even a new Central Processing Unit.
Design 88%
The machines design is both attractive and spacious.
Although, the positioning of the internal hard drive
could have been better.
Overall rating 96%
The Mother of all Amigas, but a
machine for power users only.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
26 REVIEW
Graeme Sandiford
takes a peek into the
future, reviewing the
A 1 200 CD-ROM drive,
now finally finished.
Find out what he
makes of it.
It's no arly finished; It's been delayed; er no,
It's been scrapped. Well. In fact, the A1200
CD-ROM drive is actually finished, and will be
on sale in Germany this month. It should retail for
about DM500. which will translate to a sub-£200
price tag when it's released in the UK this
September. This is probably the most eagerly
awaited piece of A1200 hardware, but how does
it perform now that its here, and how will It
improve your productivity?
The new drive first saw the tight of day at the
CoBit computer show this year and was also on
display at the ECTS (European Computer Trade
Show). Its appearance is quite pleasing; it looks
almost exactly like a truncated version ot the CD32
console that has been re-coloured to match the
cream colour of the A1200. It's a pretty much self-
contained unit with its own power supply and
connecting lead to the A1200 itself - both of these
plug into the rear of the drive. Also located at the
rear are the drive's audio in and audio out sockets
and power switch. The drive's headphone socket
and volume control are located on the left-side of
the drive. All in all, it's a tidy little unit. To insert or
remove a CD you can just lift the drive's cover;
there is no need for a caddy as with the CDTV.
some PC drives or the A570. Some might argue
that caddies can help protect CD-ROMs from being
scratched or become dirty, but most. I am sure, will
find the ease of a caddy-less drive outweighing the
small increase in the likelihood of damage.
The connecting lead passes through the blank
panel at the right-hand-side the A1200. It then
goes on through to its interface which is attached
to the expansion port. Among the rumours that
were circulating during the drive's development was
the unlikely one that the drive would utilise the
1200's PCMCIA slot. This slot can currently be
used to connect the 1200 to a variety of
SPECIFICATIONS
• Double-Speed capable Drive (300K per sec.)
• Multi-session compatible - can be used to
access Kodak Photo CD Images.
• Contains special AIKIKO chip.
• Space for 4Mb of 32-bit RAM.
• Supplied with Workbench 3.1.
WHAT
A1200 CD-ROM drive.
WHO
Commodore International
WHERE
The drive will be available from
your nearest Amiga-stockist as
of September 1994.
peripherals, such as modems, or even add extra
memory. This option has been avoided because the
PCMCIA slot can only handle 16-bit data. This will
slow down the performance of the. otherwise 32-
bit. 1200 and lead to slower transfer rates.
However, one disadvantage of using the
expansion port Is that those 1200-owners who
have already purchased memory or accelerator
boards will have to sell them in order to make room
for the drive's interface. That is. unless some
enterprising company comes up with an affordable
unit that can be attached to the 1200's expansion
port and provide additional expansion ports. If you
have not bought a memory expansion you can add
up to 4Mb of fast RAM. The drive can accept 32-bit
SIMMS (Single In-line Memory Modules); this
means you'll probably save £70 on the price of an
unpopulated memory expansion board. However,
you will be unable to fit an FPU (floating point unit),
or other acceleration units.
Another aspect of the drive's development that
was the subject of rumour was whether or not the
drive would include, or could accept at a later date,
an MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) unit (the
MPEG unit is used to display high-quality images
fast enough to give moving images at video
quality). Unfortunately, this does seem extremely
unlikely now, as there appears to be nowhere to
put it, unless MPEG technology undergoes some
serious miniaturisation. Despite the unlikelihood.
MPEG support is not impossible as the A1200 CD-
ROM unit does contain the AIKIKO chip. This chip is
able to cope with the CD32's Planar colour modes
that are handled by its Planar chip. The AIKIKO chip
also helps the 1200 to be compatible with most of
the currently available CD32 games (even the most
serious-minded of Amiga-users plays the odd game
or two).
Prior to the arrival of this new drive, gaining
access to a CD-ROM with an Amiga meant you had
to resort to using costly commercial software, or
use PD packages which can often be complicated.
Now. however, things are different; Commodore will
be supplying version 3.1 of its operating system.
This latest revision has direct support for CD-ROM
drives and discs. If you already own a 1200 you are
probably familiar with DOSdnvers. such as the ones
supplied with CrossDOS instead of having to
waste time copying the drivers etc to the correct
directories, there is an installation script that
comes with the drive that will install the updated
system for you.
But. what can it do with the drive once you
have it fitted and running? We've already
mentioned that the drive can be used to run CD32
games, but can the drive perform well enough to be
used for serious tasks? Well, the drive is basically
the same as the CD32. It is a double-speed drive,
so you can play audio CDs as well as read data. It
is multi-session compliant; this means it can read
multi-session CDs such as Kodaks PhotoCDs.
PhotoCD is potentially one of the chief serious
uses a CD-ROM drive is going to be put to. It's an
inexpensive way to get professional quality
scanned images. However, the drive's uses don't
stop there. PC software developers are starting to
take advantage of CD-ROM technology to provide
more data with their applications, such as support
files. Not ones to be out-done. Amiga developers
are also considering expanding their software on to
CD-ROMs. For example, Virtual Reality Labs of
California have recently conducted a poll of
VistaPro and Distant Suns owners, asking them if
they would consider buying WsfaPro. Makepath,
Terratorm and all of their available Digital Elevation
Maps on a single disc. Another disc they are
considering creating is a Distant Suns disc; this
would contain all of the extension sets. The
extension sets include Space Visions - a collection
of space-related IFF files that normally comes on
25 disks plus an installation disk. Imagine how
many disk swaps a CD-ROM would save!
Commodore have come up with another winner
with the A1200 CD-ROM drive - a double-speed,
multi-session drive with an onboard expansion
socket; all for under £200! The drive has been
eagerly awaited by both serious and games-playing
Amiga-owners, and they should be very happy with
the result. You can play CD32 games and do all
the serious tasks you expect to do with a CD-ROM
drive. The drive is well-built and has proven its
reliability with its successful use in the CD32. The
only foreseeable problem for Commodore is a
potential flood of grey import drives, due to the
earlier release in Germany. ^D
CHECKOUT
CD-ROM DRIVE
Features 87%
This is more than just another CD-ROM dove, it is the
only one that you can use with Amiga 1200 to play
CD32 games. It also has enough room for an additional
4Mb of fast RAM on board (without the need for another
expansion card). However, it would have been good if it
had included some kind of thru-port so you could still
use your old FPU units etc.
Speed 90%
The drive is doublespeed capable. This should be
enough for most people's requirements.
Value for money 97%
A CD-ROM drive and memory expansion port for under
£200 - what more needs to be said?
Overall rating 92%
This drive provides unprecedented
features at an Incredible price.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
REVIEW 27
uro press have very recently added three
new titles to their extensive range of
packages for education. That friendly and
helpful alien by the name of ADI returns to Earth
with a new suite of GCSE dedicated packages
aimed at Maths. French and English. Each shares
the same 'Environment' front end. filled with an
assortment of activities to occupy time, so
favoured by previous ADI titles. With this new
'Environment' release we are invited into ADI's
living room, which contains a collection of
assorted objects. In the centre of the room is an
Image of a TV. with four click buttons allowing
access to some of the Environment options, as
well as disk access to the specific application
bought with the package. Along the bottom of the
screen are a collection of gadgets which provide
additional provision for support.
As points are accrued in the Applications
section, the program offers a range of games to
play, growing in complexity as the points add up. A
notebook provides a facility where the user can be
jotting information during active use. but this data
dies on exit. Two facilities provide means of text
recording. A diary and a simple letter writing
programme, which are password protected, enable
save and read options. A simple calculator can be
called on at any time to assist with work, and a
control panel enables date, time, sound, colour
scheme and clock design to be altered.
The function keys within the Environment offer
a range of options to extend the capabilities of the
package. F(4) is dedicated to documents, and all
manner of information relevant to the Environment
applications can be called up. An example of this is
in the World Atlas, which is activated from the
central television screen. Information on
population, countries and cities is available on the
atlas by pressing the document's function key.
The three applications of Maths, French, and
English offer a range of well presented and
appropriate tasks for each subject. On-line help,
increasing complexity, recording achievement, and
amusement run throughout all of the applications,
and the content is excellent. Within each package
is the Environment disks and a disk for each year
of GCSE: one for 14/15; and one for 15/16.
QUEEN'S ENGLISH
ADI English has a clear distinction between the two
year-groups, giving the initial year a general division
of content over English issues. 'Shapes and
; B) BB BD Mill B) BE
One of the sections from the ADIGCSE English. Is
what one says, exactly what the other is hearing,
or does what we try to say get misinterpreted?
An alien encounter w/f/i ADI -
Wilf Rees takes a telescope to
the ADI GCSE package.
One of the exercises in the Algebra section. A
calculator is at hand, available from the icons
along the bottom of the screen, a score is kept of
performance and on-line help is available.
Sounds' cover irregular spelling, plurals,
apostrophes, homophones (are these head-phones
with one ear-piece?), definitions, word-families and
more spellings; The Architecture of Language'
looks at prefixes and suffixes, punctuation, direct
and indirect speech, and synonyms and antonyms;
Picture Words' addresses malapropisms,
sentence structure, language, imagery and
onomatopoeia; and finally. 'The Power of
Comprehension" tackles the understanding of a
passage of written text.
The second year of English goes more
thematic with a 'detective' flavour, covering each of
the sub-headings. It uses the context of a training
day, following a full case study with police memos
in abundance. Each of the chapters is an
investigation by a police officer, and covers the
slightly more sophisticated areas of understanding
English, such as dialect, poetry, prose, drama,
alliteration and the use of colons and semi-colons.
There are lots of dialogue boxes throughout the
applications for both age-groups, and
communication with the software is by both mouse
and keyboard input.
FRENCH CONNECTION
ADI French is less divided in concept between the
two age-groups; it simply moves on to more
complex language and concepts, a strategy equally
employed by National Curriculum, showing clearly
the close consideration given by the developers to
the subject this software addresses. At 14\15
there are 6 chapters which cover Street Life,
French Geography, Jobs in France, Lost Property,
Pocket Money and Holidays. Each chapter has
three or four sub-divisions to expand on the title.
Holidays, for example, has tests titled: At the
Hotel. Camping and Youth Hosteling; Last Year;
and Next Year. All of these subjects which are
tackled appear as requirements in exam syllabi.
15/16 gets a bit heavier, and moves on to cover
more subjects on the required list. The six areas
embrace: Everyday Activities; Personal and Social
Life: Education and Training; Communications; and
The International World. The content in terms of
presentation is excellent, as is the language.
MATHS GENIUS
Inevitably, the old maths subject had to be tackled,
and Europress haven't flinched from the
responsibility with a double whammy aimed at that
most dreaded of school exams. Again the content
is spot-on with regard to relevance to the N.C.
documents, and the chapters have been well
defined into specific areas of study, clarifying the
content needed to be covered. 14/15 gets straight
in at the deep end with Geometry. Transformations.
Analytical Geometry. Fractions and Powers.
Factorising and Expanding, and Equations. Each is
sub-divided into relevant areas. Geometry, for
example, covers Pythagoras. Trigonometry and
three-dimensional geometry. 15/16 brings in all
those areas of grief, so memorable to many of us:
Number. Algebra. Shape and Space, and Gathering
and Recording. Algebra, for example, reads like a
homework nightmare with equations, decimals,
fractions, ratios, calculating, estimation,
approximation and measuring.
It has to be a programming zealot who can set
about writing an entertaining maths tutor, but
Europress have done so. and deserve praise. I can
only offer praise to Europress for attempting to
produce software for the age-group concerned. I
have an element of reservation as to whether a 16
year-old will be amused by sitting in front of his or
her Amiga, and making extremely silly
conversations with a condescending alien, but I'm
also sure they've done their homework and feel the
context is appropriate. Despite this reservation, the
content of the whole of this suite is really quite
superb. It's British: it comes from a company with
a track record second to none for quality and value;
and I have to say to any students out there
panicking at the pending exams, or parent wanting
to offer a little help, go and buy it! CD
WHAT
ADI GCSE (French, English.
Maths) - £34.99/each.
WHO
Europress Software
WHERE
Europress Software ** 0625
859333
CHECKO
ADI GCSE
Graphics
Excellent animations, sound and colour.
UT
89%
Educational Content 95%
Covers virtually every aspect of the curriculum.
Relevance for Target Age 60%
Not sure about this one. Some might find it too
childish.
Documentation 85%
Plenty on the Environment, very little on the
Applications
Overall rating 88%
Excellent quality and superb value
educational package for any nervous
student (or parent) panicking at the
pending exams.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
28 REVIEW
Has the five year wait for Music-X
2.0 been worth it, or is it a case of too little too
late? Tim Tucker looks at the delayed sequel.
When Music-X was first released back
In 1989, it created a lot of
excitement in the Amiga music
community. Here, for the first time, was a
sequencer which really took advantage of the
Amiga's hardware and. what's more. It wasn't a
port from another computer, as most of the good
music software was at the time. The programmers
proclaimed themselves behind the software, and
promised future upgrades as soon as possible.
And... five years later, here it Is - Music-X 2.0.
Seeing as it's taken such a long time for this
follow up to arrive, I thought it best to review
version 2 from scratch. If you're totally familiar with
tne original, see the box named what's NEW? to
see what the new features of this upgrade are.
MUSICAL POWER
They say that size isn't important, but in the case
of Music-X it sure doesn't hurt. Its primary role is
that of a MIDI sequencer, but there's so much else
packed into the innocent looking disk that the term
"sequencer" doesn't do it justice.
For a start, the main sequencer section
contains 250 separate tracks to record into. That's
a hell of a lot of tracks (compare it to Dr T's KC$
which only has 36). but before you start composing
your 200 part orchestral work, bear in mind that
the software can only play back 20 tracks at a
time. The benefit of all those extra tracks is that
you get 250 places to store your MIDI information,
plus other events which we'll get to shortly. For
example, you can keep three different versions of a
piano part, which you might want to use in different
occurrences of a musical section to add variation.
Recording music into these tracks is actually
quite a fiddly process, and one of my major
criticisms with the program. Instead of just
pressing record and play (which you can do in KCS
for example), the programmers have thrown a few
imiC-X lH«nci: Y»r» Riff
HrniTH
llrw* » Hflf •*(» §E3
NO **
The graphical editing page is one of the best
features of Music-X. Grab and drag - It's easy.
impediments in. First you have to define a track (or
Sequence, as Music-X calls it) for recording to.
That's easy enough; just click on an empty track,
but then hitting record brings up a requester which
offers some fairly useful, but hardly commonly
used, options, such as "Mute target sequence"
and "Punch In Manual". It's also here that you
define the Count-in. and the number of bars you
want to record (which defaults to 4095, so you'll
invariably have to change that straightaway too).
My other gripe with the recording process Is
that you can't specify any parameters on input. The
most annoying is the lack of quantisation at this
stage, a feature which by far the majority of users
would use on practically every recording. To actually
quantise the newly recorded track, you have to go
to the edit page and select the quantise value from
there. Then you have to store the edited track to
ensure that the edits aren't lost, return to the main
sequencer page and start work on the next track.
Of course, all this soon becomes second nature,
but it's far too long a process when you're trying to
whack down as much as you can while you're still
musically inspired.
The same goes for looping. You might record
NOTATOR-X
It seems that most of the work
of upgrading Music-X has gone
into writing this entirely
separate program, Notator-X,
which comes as part of the
package. As you might imagine,
this Is a score writing program
which enables you to build your
own musical scores and print
them out. It's comprehensive -
providing all the note values,
clefs, time and key signatures
that youcould possibly need,
and a good range of musical
symbols, such as Dynamics.
Coda, Segno. Repeat Bars.
Crescendo. Diminuendo.
Legato, Staccato. Slurs. Trill,
Fermata, Sustain Pedal and
Accents. It's also very easy to
use, giving you the option to
use the mouse or the keyboard
to put your score together. The
results are very nice to look at,
and with a good printer this is
more than capable of providing
very professional results.
The integration of Notator-X
with Music-X is a little more
limited. You can import Music-X
.perl files and display them,
and you can send scores that
you've put together in Notator-X
over to Music-X to play them.
Notator-X can store up to 36
tracks, but only 18 staves, so if
you want more than 18 tracks
transcribed you'H have to put
two tracks in each staff. The
biggest disappointment is that
the two programs don't interact
in real time, so if you make any
changes to the score, they
won't be reflected in Music-X
until you port the newly edited
score over again. Conversely,
when you play the track in
Music-X, the score doesn't
move with the music; you have
to scroll manually and try to
keep up with the music. It's
asking a bit much to expect
this amount of power at this
price, but it means that you'll
have to be pretty conversant
with written music to get the
most out of Notator-X,
eight bars of music and want to hear it loop
indefinitely to get into the groove and think up
some new ideas. But guess what - you're going to
have to go into the edit page again to add a Repeat
event into the sequence. Tiresome! There is a Loop
option on recording, but it only loops during the
recording process, not on playback, and each pass
is recorded on top of the previous ones, so you'll
still have to go and edit out all the unwanted takes.
Apart from these complaints, the main
sequencing page has a good range of features. You
can set up parts of the song for punching in and
out, either manually or automatically (which is
handy for recording over mistakes in a previously
recorded track), and tracks can be muted during
playback with a click of the mouse. Another frightful
omission, though, is a solo option, which is
common on nearly all other sequencers, and Is
dead handy for isolating certain tracks while
listening back.
Fortunately, the editing section of Music-X 2.0 is
superb (I say fortunately, because you're forced to
spend a lot of time there). All MIDI information is
displayed either graphically as coloured bars, with
different colours indicating separate MIDI channels,
or as an event list. The graphical Bar editor is the
most friendly, as it's easy to just pick up notes and
other data with the mouse and move them around
the track, but if you really want to get to the nuts
and bolts of a sequence, the event list is your man.
Both editing environments contain a modules
menu, which provides useful options such as
Deflam. which deletes notes that are accidentally
played, and the Velocity Scaler and Flattener, which
can make broad changes to the velocities of the
notes that would take ages to accomplish if you
had to edit each note individually. It's also in this
menu that you'll find an AREXX support feature -
choose the AREXX item and a requester appears
asking which script you want to run. This Is a
superb bonus, as it not only provides some very
useful scripts as presets, but enables you to
create your own editing macros, complete with built
in requesters, sliders, radio buttons and so forth.
This is well worth spending time looking at. as it
can make your work so much easier, especially rf
you're spending a lot of time using the same
commands in the editor, such as quantising to
sixteenth notes and levelling out all the velocities.
But it's not just editing recorded MIDI
information that takes place in the editor - it's here
that you put your songs together. You do this by
using Play Sequence events, which are commands
which play other tracks that you've already
recorded in Music-X. You construct a song by
stringing together all the different Sequences
(which are the same as tracks, remember), and you
can also nest Play Sequence events inside each
Not only do you get all the usual musical signs,
but also all the text options you could want.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
REVIEW 29
WHAT'S NEW?
Multiple MIDI Ports -
Music-x 2.0 can access more
than one MIDI Out port, giving
you more than ihe standard 16
MIDI channels on output. You
need the requisite MIDI
interface with extra Outs on to
take advantage ot this feature.
The software can address eight
separate MIDI Outs, giving you
up to 128 MIDI channels.
Edit Options - some new
tools have been added to the
Editor, including Sculpt, which
enables you to graphically edit
MIDI parameters with the
mouse, a new expanded
Quantiser module, including
swing factors and offset values,
a Deflam for treating notes that
were accidentally struck
together, and a much improved
Logical Select option, which
enables you to select events by
channel, pitch, velocity, and all
sorts of other user-definable
methods.
AREXX - the editor now
uses Mus/c-X-specific AREXX
commands, which can be
written as scripts and accessed
through the AREXX menu in the
editor. You have to have AREXX
installed on your system to
take advantage of this. Some
useful pre-written AREXX scripts
are provided, but you can edit
these and write your own using
a standard text editing
program, such as Ed.
Controlmap - like Keymap.
but instead of re-mapping MIDI
notes, it re-directs MIDI control
change messages
Amiga Samples - the
Samples page can now contain
up to 64 separate samples, as
long as you have the memory to
store them, and they now
respond to MIDI information,
such as program change,
velocity, pitch bend and vanous
control change messages.
Notator-X - See separate
section on Notator-X for
Information on this powerful
score writing add-on.
IBIK-l LVir v . »X?.lwMs.libf
W*'«l«
rr ft*
L:
i I' '
« trtt ZwHin
The Inclusion of a Librarian Module Is a bonus that
very few sequencers offer.
other. This is handy if. for example, you wanted to
create a Play Sequence event called Verse, which
would play the drums, bass and guitar tracks for a
certain section of your song, and then play that
sequence in a larger sequence called Song, along
with Choruses and other sections. This approach
makes viewing your entire composition much
easier as the resulting Control sequence displays
the Play Sequence events as a string of horizontal
bars, and gives a good clear overview of the whole
thing. However, it's easy to get confused about
which of your 250 tracks are actually MIDI tracks,
Play Sequence tracks, or nested Play Sequence
tracks. This is something that both KCS and Bars
and Pipes do better with their dedicated song
construction pages.
CHANNELS OF
COMMUNICATION
The niters page of Music-X 2.0 is where you
stipulate which MIDI channel you want your music
recorded on. As with the rest of the program, this
is extremely comprehensive, enabling you to map
different types of MIDI information to different
channels; for example, you could have note
information coming in to the program on MIDI
channel 1 being re-directed to channel 4. while
Aftertouch on the same MIDI channel gets sent to
MIDI channel 5. If channel 4 was a synth, and
channel 5 was an effects unit which could respond
to Aftertouch messages (many can), you could alter
the reverb settings while you actually play, creating
reverb swells when you hit big significant chords for
example. The possibilities are endless.
The Filters page also features two sub-
modules, the Keymap and Controlmap pages.
Keymap is a remarkably handy section which
enables you to control certain aspects of the
program from the music keyboard. For example,
you can assign the bottom notes of the keyboard
to start and stop the sequencer, and the top notes
to send program change messages on certain MIDI
channels. The flexibility this allows is immense.
Controlmap is new to Music-X 2.0, and does
the same as Keymap. but with Control Change
messages. For example, you could assign your
Modulation Wheel to control tempo changes in the
sequencer. All this can be recorded to a new track,
making it a lot quicker to alter certain parameters
in real time. You can load and save Keymaps and
Controlmaps from disk, so you can keep a directory
full of the most useful ones and load them in when
necessary. I've not seen features like this on any
other sequencer, and a little experimentation can
produce some powerful results.
SOUND MECHANICS
Of all music sequencers available for the Amiga.
Music-X is by far the best for dealing with internal
samples recorded on the Amiga. There's a
dedicated Samples page, in which you can store up
to 64 different Amiga samples (memory
permitting); both the standard Amiga IFF format
samples, and Sonix files. You can edit the attack
and decay envelopes for each sample individually,
as well as the playback speed, and this upgrade
even enables the samples to respond to keyboard
velocity (the harder you hit the keys, the louder the
sample), pitch bend messages, and a host of other
MIDI commands. You can also use standard
program change messages to call up the samples
you want to play. It's very simple to work with, and
allows for maximum integration and flexibility with
digitised sounds.
The built-in Librarian provides a generic editing
environment, which you can use to edit, load and
save sounds on whichever synth or tone module
you're using. Music-X 2.0 comes bundled with
banks of sounds for the Roland D50. Yamaha DX7
and DX100, and the Casio CZ-1000, and protocols
are provided for editing all these synths. plus the
Oberheim Matnx-6, Roland MT-32 and the Yamaha
TX81Z. You can write your own protocols for other
synths, but this is really aimed at experienced
programmers. It's still a genuine bonus though.
WORTH THE WAIT?
For just under £150, Music-X 2.0 packs a hell of a
lot in, and the range of features provided is
equalled only by Blue Ribbon's Bars and Pipes. It's
a shame then that the program has such a
One of the new parts of release 2 Is this
Controlmap page, a very powerful feature.
muddled way of working. Some operations are so
tediously long winded, that it can quite put you out
of the flow of your music-making at times. Apart
from the notable exception of Notator-X, the
upgrade doesn't really try to improve on the original
software at all. To give one extremely annoying
example; I found an infuriating little idiosyncrasy in
the original program, which was the inexplicable
addition of a single clock beat at the end of
recorded tracks which contained a steady flow of
information, such as a hi-hat track. This stopped
the track from looping properly, and required a trip
to the event editor to remove it, adding even more
messing about to an already fiddly process, and...
it hasn't been fixed in this upgrade. What a crime!
For sheer professionalism and ease of use. Dr
T's KCS has yet to be beaten, and Bars and Pipes
comes a close second. As for Music-X 2.0 - it's a
very powerful package, some parts of which are
extremely well designed, but it'll require another,
more significant upgrade before it can take on its
superior competitors. QJ
WHAT
Muslc-X 2.0 - £149.99
Upgrade - £79.99
WHO
The Software Business
WHERE
The Software Business Ltd
Cromwell Business Centre, New
Road, St Ives, Huntingdon PE17
4BG. ■ 0480 496497
C H EC KO
Music-X 2.0
Features 90%
More than you'd expect from a MIDI sequencer has
been packed into Music-X 2.0. including fabulous
notation software Notator-X.
Ease of Use 64%
A fussy interface gets in the way of creativity.
Documentation 70%
A good comprehensive manual, although the upgraded
features are contained in a separate addendum, so a
lot of cross referencing is required for new users.
Value for Money 87%
It's amazing how much you get for your cash.
Overall Rating 80%
It'll do all you want It to, but It'll take
longer than necessary. Some glaring
omissions can 't be forgiven, but It
may well be the sequencer for you.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
30 REVIEW
Gary Whiteley reviews
the latest version of
Syndesis Corporation's
excellent 3D object
converter.
If you use 3D programs for modelling and
rendering, then there have probably been
times when you've looked longingly at an
object and thought: Hey. that's just the thing for
my new project - but It's In a format that my 3D
program can't use!" So what do you do? Spend
hours modelling an object which isn't quite so
good, and then panic as your deadline grows ever
nearer? Well, what would you say if I told you
there was an easier way? That's right, because
with Interchange Plus (version 3.0) object
conversion got even easier - and faster too.
Syndesis Corporation's Interchange Plus {ICPi
started life as plain Interchange almost seven
years ago. but since then it has heen refined and
tweaked, extended and optimised, and it remains
the premier object conversion software for the
Amiga. In fact. Syndesis are so good at their job
that they were asked to write all the object loaders
(TIOs) for NewTek's Video Toaster software. There
are other conversion programs, such as Axiom
Software's Pixel 3D Professional, but they just
don't perform to the standard that /CPdoes.
Unlike its competitors, ICP is almost fanatically
dedicated to converting vector-based files (in other
words 3D objects and some desktop publishing
files) from one format to another. Most of the major
formats are now included in the package, which is
especially good news when you learn that some of
the high-end workstation format converters used to
be available only at extra cost - and some of them
were pretty expensive. But now Wavefront, 3D
Studio, and AutoCAD converters are included, in
addition to the more common Imagine, TurboSilver.
Sculpt 3D/4D, VideoScape3D and VistaDEM
format converters. However, some converters, such
as those for Softimage. Topas, Digital Arts and
Swivel are still only available separately, and at
REQUIREMENTS
Any Amiga with at least DOS 1.2. Any amount of
memory is OK. though larger objects will require
larger amounts of memory. Accelerated Amiga
recommended, but not essential. ICP needs up
to 3MB of hard drive space for full installation.
: UliKtow Hn tl.t •
%W fr—t»U t«r— r«tn»
unm
III?
KID
HI***
PmUHU
The Interface Is plain, but the power behind is the
Important part. Interchange Plus gets on with the
job in hand without the need for fancy GUIs.
extra cost. Professional Draw and Aegis Draw
vector objects are also supported.
You might have noticed that a couple of well-
known Amiga formats are conspicuous by their
absence - and for good reason. Caligari isn't
supported because of the difficulties Syndesis had
in consistently converting objects to and from
Caligari's rather unorthodox object format. And
Real 3D (any version) isn't covered because
Syndesis were apparently unable to get hold of the
format specifications. However, Caligari can toad
Lightwave objects, and Sculpt 3D and DXF objects
can be converted within Real 3D. so at least ICP
will still be of some use in either case.
IT'S YOUR CHOICE
ICP is easy to use. All that's required is to run the
main program, then run as many converter modules
as you wish - ensuring that you run a module
representative of the incoming object format as
well as the outgoing one. So, for instance, if you
wished to convert a 3D Studio .3DS file to Imagine
.iob format both the 3D Studio and
Imagine/TurboSilver 3.0 modules must be running.
The rest is easy. Pick the object you wish to
convert from the requester, decide where you want
to save it, and then press the convert button. ICP
crunches away and converts the object to your
chosen format. There are a few things that ICP
cannot do - but these are limitations caused by
circumstances beyond the program's control. Take
surface attributes, for example. There's little
common ground between all the various object
formats so far as surface attributes are concerned
- so a camouflage texture from Imagine 2.9 can't
be translated into a material that 3D Studio can
recognise. Usually only the colours of an object will
be converted with any degree of accuracy.
Any object which has surface mapping will
suffer similar problems, since there are so many
different image formats, wrapping methods, and
ways of placing them that it really is unreasonable
to expect ICP to be able to sort them out. There's
no point in moaning about this -just be thankful
that you've saved a lot of time and got the object
nicely converted and get down to the task of
resetting the object's attributes and surface maps.
But ICP keeps any object groupings and
hierarchies intact, so objects that play together
stay together. There are a few tool modules as
well, such as Scale. Point Reduce and Grid Snap,
but in practice I find it better to use a 3D modelling
program to control these functions' post-
conversion. But they're there if you need them.
One of the extras included with ICP is interFont
(which was sold separately before being integrated
into ICP version 2.0) which turns special fonts into
3D objects. A wide range of InterFont fonts are
included, but you can also design your own with the
InterFont Designer supplied - should you really
wish. Whilst InterFont might not be much use to
those with the latest 3D software, it does work
quickly and easily and the results aren't half bad.
With its built-in extrude and smoothing functions
>*«*^*Tsn£ifc*. — — nHBjw«« ••••
... ■«
'•• »•-*■•
. ..
»-»»WjC"faR-»»*
Un>
• ■ ...
... t—
...
*rr*ES?TsL* '•-^^HiBf»»»" •!#*••■ ■«*• r**iwt»r
VOFV1V
* m*
. **, ..'
4imTT*»*>
Interchange Plus has a wide array of different
modules for converting between many different 3D
object formats.
InterFont can save a lot of 3D modelling work.
THE VERDICT
ICP fulfils its stated mission of converting object
files extremely well - and quickly and efficiently. It
does not convert bitmaps into objects (like Pixel
3D), nor does it have any object building or editing
tools, but it does turn special fonts into 3D
objects. There's no doubt that ICP is a very
worthwhile program if you're in the 3D business.
Gary Whiteley can be e-mailed as
drgaz@cix.compulink.co.uk ^D
WHAT
Interchange Plus - US$199.95
Special offer - US$129.95 plus
$8 shipping to Europe
WHO
Syndesis Corporation
WHERE
Syndesis Corporation. 235
South Main Street, Jefferson, Wl
53549. USA. tr 0101 414
6745200. Fax: 0101 414
6746363. (No UK distributor).
CHECKOUT
Interchange Plus v3.0
Documentation 90%
Written well, and in great detail, though there aren't
many pictures.
Features 88%
Apart from Real3D, Cahgan and several higrvend
workstation formats. ICP can handle most current 30
object formats, as well as some DTP vector formats,
and special 3D font operations are also included.
Speed 92%
ICP handles conversions quickly and easily, and
demands minimal intervention from the user.
Price 87%
At Syndesis s special offer pnee I'd say this is a definite
must for all serious Amiga 3D users.
Overall rating 91%
Good solid conversion carried out
quickly and reliably, with the
minimum of fuss. Buy this software!
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
REVIEW 3 1
Did you, like Graeme Sandiford, grow up
v/ith the Flintstones? Then you should enjoy
this animation package from Hanna-Barbera.
Yabba-dabba dool I'm sorry. It's just that
I've been waiting to use that catch
phrase for some time, and with the arrival
of the Hanna-Barbera Animation Workshop I've
got my chance. Like most people, I grew up
watching episodes of Flintstones each week-day
evening. It's not just the Flintstones either;
Hanna-Barbera is one the most prolific animation
houses in the world. Because of the company's
reputation, the release of the Animation
Workshop has been eagerly awaited.
The program has been designed to teach young
children how to animate. When we say animate, we
don't just mean this in the technical sense; it also
provides some helpful guidelines on how you can
make your animations humourous and. to a certain
extent, realistic. The program's only requirements
are 1Mb of RAM and a willingness learn. One of
the first problems that is often encountered by a
child learning to animate on a computer is drawing
with a mouse. To help overcome this problem, the
program has built-in support for Rombo's range of
digitisers.
Another unique aspect to the program is the
inclusion of example files that feature popular
Hanna-Barbera characters. The files include
backgrounds, characters, and moving characters.
There are examples taken from the Flintstones,
Jetsons, Yoggi Bear and Scooby Doo. There is a
chapter in the manual that relates to the files
which give a few tips on how to use the examples
to improve your own animating skills, They can also
The Hanna-Barbera Animation Workshop comes
with plenty of example animations.
WHO
,-..WHAT
WHAT
Hanna-Barbera Animation
Workshop - £44.99
WHO
Empire Software
WHERE
LeisureSoft * 0604 768711
■a
Onion-skinning allows previous animation frames
to show through In fainter colour.
help a child produce good results within a short
period of time.
The program is divided into three main drawing
modes: Background Paint; Foreground Paint; and
Foreground Animate. As well as making the
program easier to use. it also introduces important
animation concepts. The Background Paint mode is
for creating background images for you to play your
animations over. Once you have completed your
background, you can switch to Foreground Animate
to draw or load outlines of the characters you wish
to animate. This mode can only display in two
colours, so you need to go to the Foreground Paint
mode to add more colour. Once you created the
frames you need and your characters' outlines, you
can then fill them in the Foreground Pami mode.
Once you're happy with the components of your
animation, you can return to the mam menu to view
the animation. If you are not happy with the
results, you can alter the playback speed or even
insert frames from an exposure list.
When you enter Background Paint mode, you'll
find it has a number of tools that are common to
most paint and animation packages. You have a
freehand pencil tool, a straight line tool, a scissor
tool for cutting brushes, a fill tool, a zoom icon, a
text tool and icons for drawing circles and squares.
You also have the option of choosing a size for
your brush. There is a palette that consists of eight
colours - these colours can be edited until you are
happy with them. These eight colours will then
remain your background colours despite which
colours will be used for your animation's
foreground colours. This method saves the child
from having to worry too much about selecting his
or her colours. There are also icons for undoing
your last action and one for clearing the screen
completely. If you click on the background icon this
will switch you to the Foreground Paint mode.
At first Foreground Paint mode seems the
same as Background Paint mode. There are only a
few more icons, the most notable of which are the
animation ones. The animation icons, like most of
the others, are simple to use. There are three; one
for moving forward a frame; one for moving
backwards; and another for inserting a new frame
at the current position. While you are in this mode,
if you click on the scissor tool you will be taken to
the load brush area. Once you have loaded the
frame from which you want to cut a brush, you can
select an area of the screen using a bounding box.
When you return to the Foreground Paint screen the
brush will be ready to paste. The other icon that
you may notice is the animate icon; pressing this
will take you to Foreground Animate mode.
Foreground Animate mode is almost identical
to Foreground Paint mode. The only differences are
the two-colour palette and the ability to onion-skin
frames. Onion-skinning is a technique that can be
employed to make your animations more life-like. It
achieves this by letting the previous two frames
show through the current one. The current frame's
default colour is black and the frames beneath are
successively lighter shades of grey; this gives the
impression of viewing the frames through a
translucent surface such as an onion-skin. This
method is useful because you can position the
character of the current frame more accurately,
relative to its previous position.
Once you are happy with the overall animation
you can save it to disk. However, if you want to
show your animation off to your friends, they must
own a copy of the Animation Workshop themselves.
It would have been far better if the program
included a freely-distributable animation display
program. While I'm having a good old moan, the
manual does not mention whether or not you can
load backgrounds painted in other programs. Well,
it is possible, but you have to be sure you save it
with a eight-colour palette in low resolution non-
interlaced mode and give it a .bkg extension. The
program is an excellent way to introduce a young
child into the world of computer animation, but falls
short when it comes to taking them beyond the
basics. This is due mainly to its lack of functions.
It is potentially a very good program, but just
doesn't provide enough long-term interest for
children. It might be good at introducing animation
concepts, but sooner or later the child is going to
need the power and versatility afforded by a
program such as DPaint. ^0
CHECKOUT
Animation workshop
Documentation 97%
The documentation is excellent, friendly, easy-to-
understand, and even humourous.
Ease of Use 90%
A child should be able to use the program with a
minimum amount effort.
Features 60%
There are some unique features, but sadly there really
aren't enough.
Price 79%
The program is a little too pricey for what It does.
Overall rating 68%
It Is an excellent Idea, but It lacks
the features necessary to make more
than just an introduction to computer
animation.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
32 REVIEW
R Shamms Mortier checks out Image Mirror, an
image-processing and animation package that
makes absolutely all of its functions available
through a visual interface.
Some developers have strayed far from
visual interfaces on the Amiga, and have
treated it as if It were just another verbally
oriented system. This is unfortunate, because I
believe that most Amiga owners bought their
systems because of the lure of visual interfacing,
evident even In the way one can redesign the
Icons that populate the Workbench screen. Image
Processing software especially should function as
much as possible within a visual, rather than a
verbal, realm. The three main Amiga Image
Processing packages (ASDG's ADPro, GVP's
imageFX, and BlackBelt's imageMaster)
accomplish that to a certain stage, but all of
them depend to a larger degree upon verbalising
their operations.
A NEW PLAYER
Seven Seas Software has a reputation in the Amiga
community for producing some of the most
spectacular mathematical visualisation software on
any platform, especially its flagship program
MathVision. MathVision, without the user ever
being aware of it, is the engine that runs Image
Mirror. Whereas MathVision is full of mathematical
and verbal command structures. Image Mirror has
only two commands that are verbal in nature:
'save" and "quit." The rest of the extremely
complex image processing operations are
completely visual in nature, activated by simply
dragging specific icons from place to place, or
double clicking on various tools to set their
configurations from loads of choices. Though this is
a unique product, unlike any other Seven Seas
offering, experienced Seven Seas' customers will
be tempted to see an evolutionary line connecting
Doug's Math Aquarium (Seven Seas first major
package) to MathVision to Image Mirror.
THE TWO SCREEN AREAS
Image Mirror allows you to work in two separated
screen areas: Tools and Studio. The Tools area is
where various image processing operators are
stored. The Studio area is where processing is set
**« »v»
# » »Mt
*£Mfc
Here Is the Image Mirror configuration screen for
the "Mantel" tool.
in motion. Tools are double clicked on to access
their optional configurations. Then a Tool is
dragged over into the Studio area in order to
function as an image processing operator.
Imported pictures are placed over any Tool that is
in the Studio area. The picture pops up on screen
(in whatever resolution format is displayable) and
usually is followed by a rubber banded box that can
be moved and resized. When the box is finally in
the desired placement and size, a right mouse
button click starts the Tool working on the selected
area. When processing is complete, a new Icon for
the processed picture appears in the Studio area,
and it can be viewed and saved from there. Nothing
could be simpler or more fun. By the way. if you try
and mess up by moving something to an
impossible area (like a Studio icon to the Tool
area), the offending member simply rebounds back
to where it belongs. No offensive verbal remarks or
gurus need apply.
THE STUDIO ICONS
There are eight separate icons that reside in the
Studio area, and each has a valuable task to aid
the Image Mirror artist and animator. The first one
that you will probably use is "LoadPic". It is shaped
like two people doing a picture trade over a table.
Clicking on it brings up a standard file requester
from which you find the path to the picture you
want to load. 24bit pictures show up as HAM-8s on
A1200s and 4000s. The freshly loaded picture
appears in the Studio as a separate icon, shaped
like a face. This is the icon that you "drop" into
various tools for image processing later on. After
loading the picture, you'll probably want to display
it. To do that, you drop it into the "DrawPic" icon in
the Studio.
Other icons represent alternate options.
"Archive" (a picture of the pyramids!) allows you to
save out any processed image. "Destroy" (paper
being cut up) gets rid of an image from the Studio.
"Print" prints it. and "ReName" does what it says.
Then there's "StoryLine* - when you drop an
-
JARGON BUSTING
Anti-aliasing - "smoothing" out the jaggies,
those irritating effects that appear when you
blow up a computer graphic image.
Vector - literally a direction in space that
defines applied characteristics of a designated
effect.
Mandelbrot - Benoit Mandelbrot is responsible
for what is called the third great scientific
revolution in this century (after quantum
dynamics and relativity). Mandelbrot "pictures-
display fractal (pieces of) dimensions on a 2D
plane, allowing us to "see" chaotic and organic
processes in action.
already processed image in here, you are
presented with two options: "Original Image to
This." or "This to Original Image.* This allows you
to go either forward or backwards with your
animation. When the image has had a StoryLine
created, and a ".sb" added to its file name, it is
ready to be dropped into the "Animate" icon, which
we will cover in a moment.
THE TOOLS
The Image Mirror "Tools' area is loaded with image
processing operators. Some of these Tools operate
on one image, and some on two connected images
(compositing one on the other). It should be noted
that when you select one of the parameter settings
in a Tool, there are many more options at stake in
addition to how the representative configuration
looks. In each configuration, there is also the
possibility of clicking in various points, so that each
configuration really represents 64,000 possible
settings depending on where you click! So that
means that with only the twenty-one Tools listed in
this first edition of Image Mirror we have 21 x
64.000 = 1.344.000 possibilities. Multiply this by
any number, because you can always send the
picture through another Tool for reprocessing. Even
with a limited amount of Tools, the image
processing possibilities are almost endless.
The eight double Tools are:
Plcl<2: allows you to place one image in
another, so that in an associated animation the
second image appears gradually into the first. Nice
for fading in lettering and also for creating fade-in
morphs.
Wavel<2: this is a refraction tool that allows
you to see an image as if it is below water or
through cloudy plastic. It is very effective when
used as a blurring transition.
Brlghtl<2: this operator takes the Luma
(brightness) areas of one image and applies it to
the other image, so that specific areas become
brighter. One use is to have an area of an image
suddenly glow brighter, like superimposed lettering
or any other image element.
FadeThru: fades areas of one image into
another image. Like compositing a foreground
image with a background.
2PlcMove: what a great way to create wipes
with two images, one over the other!
Clipl<2: a selected area of one image
gradually appears inside another image over time
when animated.
ChromaKey: this term indicates a buzz process
from the television industry. ChromaKeying
indicates a process whereby selected colours in an
image are seen as transparent drop-outs, allowing
other images to be seen in the background (like
placing the weather person in front of a map for
instance). In Image Mirror, two images are treated
in the same manner with this Tool.
KScope: Image Mirror's Kaleidoscope Tool
produces very interesting images. It takes two
separate pictures and combines them in a faceted
circular arrangement, as if seen through an old
Kaleidoscope from the five and ten.
The thirteen single Tools are:
Zoom: with this Tool, the user crops out a
selected area of a picture. This area then becomes
the entire picture. What makes this Tool so
amazing is that Image Mirror is able to apply very
effective algorithms that smooth out the final
picture, so you never feel that by zooming in you're
getting more jaggies.
Rotate: select any area of a picture for various
degrees and optional rotations.. Ever seen an eye
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
REVIEW 33
Here Is an extraordinary Image prior to processing
In image Mirror to make It even more different.
rotate sideways?
Noise: "Noise" looks like visual paint
spattering, and this Tool allows you to apply noise
to any area of (or the entire) image.
Bubble: don't think that "Bubble" means only
convex contortions of the image, because it also
produces concave effects. The anti-aliasing around
the edges is exemplary, so that this effect looks
very organic when applied to facial features.
FKp: "Rip" is not limited to horizontal and
vertical mirroring effects, but includes 28 (x
64,000) possibilities. You must experiment with
this Tool to get an idea of how it might be applied.
Prayed: selected image parts tor the entire
image) takes on a spattered paint appearance.
Great for creating image wipes.
Tiling: sometimes called 'wallpapering', this
effect allows you to select any size area of a
picture, and create another separate picture
composed of cloned pictures like the size you
selected. Great for developing 3D texture maps or
logo background images!
Move: this is a very complex effect that
Here are the results of one of the Mandel tool's
configurations on the Image shown above.
One of the "Bubble" tools configurations In Image
Mirror adds even more strange effects to our
imagery. Remember, all of the effects are very
easily animated!
deserves a lot of experimentation. Areas of the
picture move to other places, displacing picture
elements as they go.
Twist: this could Just as easily have been
called "Twirl" like its ADPro counterpart. You select
an area of the image and a Twist configuration, and
then apply the effects. Various twists in the entire
image follow the area around, which is why (I
guess) it's called twist instead of twirl.
Reflect: a Reflection is a mirroring of the image
across a drawn vector. With this Tool, you draw a
line anywhere on the image, and what is on one
side (depending upon the configuration chosen)
gets reflected on the other. The anti-aliasing on
24bit images is superlative!
Mandel: based upon various Mandelbrot fractal
variations, this Tool can be found nowhere else. It
allows you to build a Mandelbrot painting from your
selected image, and gives you loads of
configurations (9 x 64,000 ■ 5.760.000 for a
start). Even when you think you've "figured this
out," the results are always surprising and
spectacular.
Vignette: a "Vignette* is a photographer's
term that Indicates an image that has fuzzed out
edges, and Image Mirror allows you to create
literally thousands of vignette types.
Stretch; the IM Stretch Tool gives you the
power to stretch one feature of a picture in any
chosen direction and size.
Animation: it's easier than ever! This Is the
best part, the sweet pudding at the end of a great
meal. Animating with Image Mirror is so user
friendly that it's ridiculous. After you have created a
StoryLine from your picture(s), you just drop them
in the "Animate" area icon (it looks like a lion being
trained). You also have the option of dropping other
nonstoryboarded processed images into the
Animate area - as many as you'd like. They each
become keyframes in an animation.
Can you imagine how complex your finished
project can be? Double click on the Animate icon,
and up pops a requester that allows you several
options: Extended Options (disk margin parameter,
starting/ending parameters, instruction, changes
plotting instructions, preview selected frame,
Load/Save settings); File Name and Path (default
path is in the "T" directory); Number of Frames;
Next Frame; Build Frames... this means GO! And
you're off and away, generating animation frames
very quickly because much of the processing has
already been precalculated, and the MathVision
engine is grinding out 24bit frames in the
background. If every animation program was this
easy to use. we would all be happier little dongles.
CONCLUSIONS AND
COMPARISONS
In a sense. Image Mirror can't really be compared
to the other three Amiga image processors
mentioned. It offers none of the other niceties, like
file translation, resizing, true morphing (at least not
at this stage). However, the fact that it is an
awesome image processor that is extremely easy
to use for both static image warps and animations
gives it a presence in the very same company of its
peers. I would like to see freehand draw areas
added to the options provided, so that more
definitive selections could be made as to what part
of a picture is to be altered.
More tools are coming in future versions, as
well as support to add tools developed by other
parties. I do not think experienced Amiga users are
going to toss their present image processing
package overboard in favour of Image Mirror, but I
The next to final step before an animation Is
created Is to create a Image Mirror Story Line"
(a Storyboard that has nine separate keyframe
views of an animation). From here, all that you
have to decide Is how many frames the finished
animation will have. The more frames, the
smoother the transition*.
do think that this package will be a needed utility
that will help users develop warping and other
animations more intuitively than the other wares
provide.
As for new Amiga users interested in Image
Processing, Image Mirror is an easier way than any
of the others, and they might take a serious look at
its way of doing business. If you are interested in
developing animations from image processing
alternatives, than you will find Image Mirror to be
one of your best choices. ©
WHAT
Image Mirror MSLP -
USS 149
WHO
Seven Seas Software (US)
WHERE
Seven Seas Software
PO Box 1451, Port Townseod.
WA 98368
tr 0101 206 385-1956
CHECKOUT
Image mirror
Ease of Use:
99%
Number of Warping Features:
86%
Animation Features/Ease of Use:
96%
Documentation:
82%
Expandability:
93%
Customer Support:
95%
50%
Positioned against the
"Big Three" as an all-round
full featured package:
Positioned against the
"Big Three" as an
Image Processor:
Overall Rating: 88%
If you are Interested In developing
animations from Image processing
alternatives, then Mirror Image Is one
of your best choices.
AMIGA SHOPPER # ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
34 WINDOW SHOPPER
Window Shopper contains reviews of hardware, software and books
in a compact formula. Check out this month's batch of goodies.
Whether you are looking to enter the
world of CD-ROM technology,
struggling with the complexities of
AmlgaDOS 3, or trying to add a clock without
having to waste your expansion port, you'll find a
product to meet your needs In this month's
edition of Window Shopper.
REAL TIME CLOCK
Kyte Products
Here's a problem: you want to install a clock in
your Amiga 500. 600 or 1200. but you've already
installed a memory expansion. Or perhaps you
have just bought a new 1200 which is still within
its one year warranty. How can you install a clock
without invalidating your warranty, or sacrificing
your RAM expansion?
One solution is to purchase one of Kyte
Product's Real-Time clocks. This is an interesting
product: it's a battery-backed clock with a
difference- Instead of installing this clock in your
trap door expansion slot, it can simply be inserted
into your Amiga's parallel port. What. I hear you
say, about my printer and my Parnet connection to
my CDTV? Don't worry, the clock is equipped with a
thru' port so you can still plug your printers, cables
or dongles as well as the clock. You just plug the
clock in, then plug the cable into the other end of
the clock - easy eh?
The clock also comes with installation software
and some utilities. The installation itself is pretty
straightforward; you just double-click on the install
icon. There is one thing you will need to bear in
mind: the installation routine will need to alter the
user-startup. This means that if you are working on
a floppy-based system you will need to alter the
startup-sequence of any disk you are likely to boot
from if you want to access the current date and
time. To do this, you will need to boot up from the
disk you wish to boot from in the future, then run
the installation program.
The utilities that come with the clock are Set
Time, At, Alarm and Calendar. Set simply sets
current date and time. Calendar can be used to
remind you of important dates and appointments.
Alarm reads the data files that are created by
Calendar, and will then display the message thai
will remind you of the up-coming event. It is an
interesting and useful program: it can execute a
command at any specified time. It can also execute
multiple commands; this makes it ideal for
repetitive tasks such as backing-up files.
Product: Real Time Clock
Price: £13.99 (plus £1 P&P)
Supplier: Kyte Products
Address: 45 St Ladoc Road,
Keynsham,
Avon BS18 2DR.
Overall Rating: 91%
I f
TJ5"
^|DI - \~-
0|Q
— | 1
1
r
HllMl
; ;..,.■
Liil* | PUJOD
r*..r
. i;-. 1 ■_ -:
UlhV-
ttt>m
nb
- -n ,
'_4l* | W :
■ r
: 7' c ;'
With the Real Time Clock from Kyte Products, you
can have a clock without opening your Amiga.
Smarty Paints comes with plenty of example
pictures to colour In - / couldn't resist this one!
SMARTY PAINTS
Chroma
The Amiga has long been an artist's tool, and is
just establishing a reputation as a machine that
can be used in education. Smarty Paints aims to tit
into both roles as an educational paint program.
The program's previous version, on the Nimbus.
was known as Borealis and was well-received in
schools across the country. It has now been
converted for use on both the Amiga and PC. The
idea behind Smarty Paints is quite simple - it's a
fully configurable graphics package. The number of
different icons and tools that most packages have
can be quite bewildering for a young child. To make
it easier for children to learn how to use painting
programs you can reduce the number of functions
available for each user. For example, you could
limit the program to just a few basic drawing tools
for a five-year-old. or a few more for an 11-year-old.
Thanks to a unique licensing agreement, a working
copy of the program can be made for each child in
a household.
Smarty Paints is not intended to be a high-end
painting program, it has been designed to be easy
to use for children aged between 5 and 11, or even
for adults who will be using a paint program for the
first time. It would therefore be unfair to expect too
many functions, or to be able to create a digital
masterpiece. The program's strongest area is
configurability; it's this level of configurability that
makes the program unique. The principle behind
Smarty Paints' method of operation is simple.
There are two main areas of the program: the main
menu, and the SMART menu. The SMART menu is
where you will perform all of your drawing and
painting tasks. The main menu is where you
configure the program to suit the user's needs.
To create your own custom SMART menu, you
need to select which tools you'll need from the
mam menu. This is simply a matter of clicking on
the Stack S. Menu button and then selecting each
tool you wish to add to the SMART menu in turn. To
leave the SMART menu item select mode, you just
click on the Stack S. Menu button again, and when
you return to the Smart menu you'll find that the
tools will have been already added. The only
limitations on how you configure your SMART menu
is a maximum of 23 buttons and the exclusion of
certain items. Once you have a configuration that is
appropriate for the intended user, the configuration
can be saved as a file. When the program is run. it
looks to this file to determine which options will be
available to the user.
For an educational program Smarty Paints has
quite a large number of tools. Draw is the
program's freehand drawing tool; it can be used by
the youngest of children. The Line function is
another simple tool; it draws a straight line
between two points. C-Line draws a continuous
line: it's a bit like drawing a series of connected
lines, end-to-end. Rays can be used to draw lines
that 'radiate' from a central point. The program
also has the standard predetermined shapes, such
as a box, circle ellipse, frame, disc and oval. As
well as the normal flood Tool, there is also a
Custom Rood tool that will fill an area with a
pattern taken from the current brush. The
program's Text function can be used to type with
any black and white Amiga bitmap font. The Zoom
function is a tad limited; you can't form a bounding
box. or set a zoom level in order to specify a zoom
area. You can also cut and paste areas of the
screen and save or load them as brushes. Once
you have copied a brush, you have the option to flip
it horizontally or vertically. One of my favourite tools
is the symmetry function. It acts like a mirror by
producing a mirror-image of whatever you draw,
either on a vertical or horizontal axis. This is great
for producing symmetrical patterns and shapes.
There is an option for loading and saving colour
palettes. The palette can also be colour-cycled to
produce simple animation effects.
The program requires 1Mb. and if your machine
is equipped with 1Mb of chip RAM you can open
two workscreens. Despite fulfiling its role as an
educational paint package there are a couple of
things that could be improved, although they are
only minor. It would have been nice if the program
supported AGA-graphics modes. The program was
also a little slow in operation, particularly when
loading images. Despite these minor niggles the
program has some very good features. It comes
with some good support files and outline pictures
for younger children (and me) to fill in. The manual
is well written and easy-to-understand. As a whole,
the program is a great introduction to the all-too-
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
WINDOW SHOPPER 35
confusing world of computer graphics.
Product: Smarty Paints
Price: £25.50 (plus £1.50 P&P)
Supplier: Chroma
Tel: (0328) 862693
Overall Rating:
tutorial
84%
Unravel all the
mystrles of
AmlgaDOS, and
Improve the
efficiency of your
system at the
same time, with
Mark Smiddy and
Bruce Smith's
"Mastering
AmlgaDOS 3".
AMICADOS 3 TUTORIAL
(VOLUME 2)
Bruce Smith Books
The Amiga has been blessed with one of the most
flexible and powerful operating systems available
on any computing platform, but it can appear more
than a little daunting at first. The Mastering...
series of books has gone a long way to helping
confused Amiga-users get to grips with various
aspects of the Amiga's operation. With the arrival
of AmigaDOS 3 even more functions and abilities
have been added to the Amiga's operating system.
Of course, this means there are plenty of new
things that you will have to learn in order to make
the most of AmigaDOS" new features. Once again.
Bruce Smith Books has come to the rescue with a
two-volume guide to Mastering Amiga DOS 3
written by Mark Smiddy and Bruce Smith. We take
a look at the second volume - the tutorial.
Even if you don't think you are going to use
AmigaDOS regularly, you'll be surprised by the
number of useful things that are covered by the
book. It explains how to streamline your startup-
sequence, install fonts and explains how the
various Devices work. While the coming of
AmigaDOS 3 has prompted the release of
Mastering AmigaDOS 3. many of the functions are
available to users of AmigaDOS 2 and 2.1. This
volume is aimed at the novice Amiga-user, and
attempts to bring the reader to a fairly advanced
level of competence. In order to achieve this goal.
the book takes a modular approach, covering each
area of AmigaDOS in a logical sequence. Each
chapter has a useful overview, so you can see
which topics will be covered. It also helps you to
find things that you don't quite understand, so you
can go back over difficult subjects.
It starts off with the simpler areas of
AmigaDOS. such as formatting disks and copying
files. It atso has a chapter dedicated to introducing
the basic concepts needed to understand the
following chapters. It even helps the reader to spot
common mistakes, such as syntax errors. Each
chapter contains example scripts and sometimes
diagrams to explain complicated commands. These
can be especially useful in later chapters.
One of the practical chapters of the book deals
with advanced file management, explaining how to
perform necessary everyday tasks, such as
examining text and binary files and searching for
files. Being able to understand (even a little of) the
information contained in a binary file can
sometimes be useful. Knowing how to use search
patterns to find files can also prove time-saving.
The Advanced System Control chapter also
covers some particularly useful information. It
shows you how to change your system fonts, select
which Keymaps you wish to use. control your
printer, switch your fast memory on and off. and
even how to keep an eye on your CPU's activity.
The book's manner is friendly and informative.
although a little confusing at times. It explains all
the essentials of AmigaDOS 3 in a way that aids
retention and gives the reader an insight into how
the various commands and utilities work, not just
expecting you to learn a few commands off by
heart. It is a valuable guide to all those who wish
to enter the wonderful world of AmigaDOS.
Product: Mastering
AmigaDOS 3 - Tutorial
Price: £21.95
Supplier: Bruce Smith Books
Tel: (0923) 893493
Overall Rating: 92%
TANDEM CD-I-IDE
CONTROLLER & MITSUMI
FXOOID CD-ROM DRIVE
Gasteiner
Commodore have just released the new A1200 CD-
ROM drive, and a very nice drive it is too (why not
check out the review on page 26 of this issue?).
However, there is still no definite news on when we
can expect a drive for the A4000. If you can't wait
for Commodores drive, and you are positively
bursting with anticipation thinking about all the
lovely stuff that is available on CD-ROM. there are
other options available. One of the more
Inexpensive alternatives is Gasteiner's combination
of a Mitsumi CD-ROM drive and a Tandem CD-ROM
and IDE drive controller which costs £229.
The controller is quite a unique piece of
hardware: it can be used to control a CD-ROM and
IDE hard drive. The main advantage of using this
controller is that it gives access to both devices,
while only occupying one expansion slot. The CD-
ROM interface is unique to the drive, so it is
unlikely that you'll be able to attach a CD-ROM
drive other than one of the Mitsumi range of drives.
The controller is quite small and fits into a Zorro
type II or III slot comfortably. Once the controller
has been inserted, it's a simple matter to attach
the CD-ROM drive and a IDE hard disk or SyQuest
Why put two controllers into your Amiga when you
can just put In a Tandem Controller and Go?
S03105A 3.5-inch removable drive if you have
them. Unlike SCSI cables, the cables supplied with
the drive can be inserted either way round.
The CD ROM drive is then attached via this
cable and takes its power internally from the
Amiga. If you get hold of Commodore's forthcoming
version 3.1 of Workbench, you'll be able to use the
drive directly as it will support this new version
when it arrives. To access the drive without
Workbench 3.1 is still straightforward, as the
controller comes with its own installation script. It
makes use of Installer, so you can have as little or
as much control over the installation process as
you want. The drive is also compatible with the
ASIM CD-ROM filesystem. The drive comes with a
few utilities as well. EjectCD is a tiny program that
performs a simple task - it opens a small window
on your Workbench screen with an eject icon and
when you click on it, the drive's tray opens or
closes. ForcePhotoCD is for use with the older LU-
005S drive, which had difficulty detecting
PhotoCDs. CacheCDFS is a filesystem that will
speed up the access of data by making use of a
buffer. However, this will only work with a IS09660
formatted disc, although the drive can be used to
access HFS and Rockndge discs as well. KillDev is
a simple and handy program that will unmount the
CD Device. If you want to listen to music CDs, you
can use PlayCD which is similar to the CD player
supplied with the CDTV.
The drive itself has already proved popular in
the PC World. This is due mainly to its cheap price,
especially the earlier single-speed drives which
could be purchased for under £100. This version is
a significant step up; it is multi-session-compatible
and runs at double-speed. Its build-quality is not
exactly fantastic and it is a trifle noisy, but it has
proved itself to be a reliable drive. As it is multi-
session-compatible you should encounter no
difficulty in accessing PhotoCD images.
This bundle of controller and drive really makes
economic sense; for £229 you get the controller,
drive and a controller for an IDE drive. Another plus
point is a BBS where you can receive on-line help;
this is a good idea and hopefully more Amiga
developers will follow suit. We recommend this
drive to anyone who would like to enter the
multimedia boom as inexpensively as possible. Oh
yes, look out for the 1200 version that's planned...
Product: Tandem Controller
and Mitsumi FXOOID
CD-ROM drive
Price: £229
Supplier: Gasteiner
Tel: (081)345 6000
Mitsumi s FXOOID CD-ROM is multi-session
compatible and runs at double-speed.
Overall Rating:
87%
O
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1 994
SPECIAL OFFERS!!
DSDD
DISKS
29P
100 DISKS +
100 CAP BOX
£31-99
ASK FOR SPECIAL DISK OFFER WHEN ORDERING
2.5" HARD DRIVES FOR A600/A1200
60 MEG £149
80 MEG £189
120 MEG £199
258 MEG £269
344 MEG £309
MO DRIVES INCLUDE FULL FITTING KIT ♦ INSTRUCTS
PRINTERS & RIBBONS
Star LC24-30 ♦ Auto Sheet Feeder£209.00
Sefcosha SP1900 9 Pin Mono X 1 1 9 00
Seikosha SL95 24 Pin Cot ..£189 00
HP310 colour ink jet 1719.00
HP310 + Auto She*! Fwder £269.00
LC20/LC100 mono ribbon £4.50
LC100 colour ribbon £6.75
LC24 200 mono ribbon £5.50
LC24 200 colour ribbon £13.50
LC200 mono ribbon £4 50
LC200 colour ribbon £9 75
LEADS & CABLES
wWi id* «
Null Modem
Joystick Extender 3 metre.
Joystick/Mouse Extender
Amiga to SCART
Amiga to 1084S/8833
Analog Joystick Adapter
4 Player Adapter
Parnet
£4 99
C5 99
£3 99
99
£7 99
£499
£5 99
LOOK! LOOK! LOOK!
TRACTORFEED DISK
LABELS
Now you can print your own professional disk labels!
500 Plain white disk labels on tractor feed, com
plete with FOUR disks of software and artwork
Yours for ONLY
£9.95
1000 Labels with software
ONLY £13.50
COMPUTER SUPPLIES
AMIGA HARDWARE
A 1 200 Desktop Dynamite £329.95
CD32 ♦ Software f 249 00
Amiga A4000 EPhone
Microvitec 1438 Monitor E29b 00
Cubscan 1 440 Multisync £399.95
External r loppy + Virus Killer £56.96
A500 Internal Floppy Drive C48 95
A500 5 1 2k Ram exp ♦ Clock £23 50
A500 1 5 Meg Ram exp £7695
A500 1 Meg Ram exp £2900
A1200 2 Meg Ram exp ♦ Clock £10995
A1200 4 Meg Ram exp* Clock £17495
A500/A600/A1 200 Power Supply 129.95
'run * TTI : rvil rm
[v*.'Ti ii
DISKS & LABELS
All disks are supplied with labels.
UNBRANDED DISKS are 100% error tree
In the unlikely event that any of our disks
are faulty, then we will replace the disks
AMD reimburse your return postage'
3 5" DSDD Grade A CO 37 each
3.5" OSOD Grade B £0 29
3.5" Rainbow CO 44 each
3.5" DSHD £0 58 each
3.5" DSDD fuii (box of 10) £4 90
3.5" DSHD fun (box Of 10, £8 90
5 25' DSDD I Ujl (box of 10) £2 50
5 25" DSHD I uii (box of 10) E4 90
1000 3.5 labels £6 50
ifcWftHMTEryij
£6.50
[WMi"]
STORAGE BOXES
Most types are available for 3 5' or
5.25" disks
10 capacity £0.95
20 capacity £1 95
40 capacity £3 49
50 capacity £3 95
100 capacity £4 50
80 capacity Banx drawer £8 49
1 50 capacity Posso drawer £15 95
^^■pacityf
VISIT OUR NEW SHOP mSTs*
S.Ofan- 1pm Thaw
*#i
FESTIVAL PARK
16
WELL, NEARLY!
Rnm-Mnm Mon-Snt.
10am-6pm Sunday
MISCELLANEOUS
tV*Tti
£180
£3 50
£3 50
£3 50
£3 50
£3 50
£3 50
3 50
3 50
ft 3-95
9 95
r32 00
rii 95
£12.95
£12.96
£26 96
£32 00
£25 96
£37 50
£4900
£56 95
£26 00
£9 95
£3 49
£8 99
£5 99
£14 95
£1495
£25 96
£4 50
Diskdnve cleaner
A500 Dustcover
A600 Dustcover
A 1200 Dustcover
Monitor Dustcover
IC20 Dustcover
LC100 Oustcover
LC200 Oustcover M ..
LC24-200 Dustcovei
Roboshitt
Amiga Lightpen
Optical Mouse
Megamouse II
Megamouse 400 DPI
Point Mouse
Altadita Trackball
Crystal Trackball
Zydek/Truedox Trackball
Zyfi Amp/Speak <
Zydek Pro Speakers
nun Replay Mk III
Mull M.ister.
urn Monitor Stand
2 -piece Printer Stand
Metal Punter Stand
A4 Copytmldm
Metal Angle Poise Copy Holder
A500/A600 ROM Sharer
VI 3 ROM/V2 04 ROM £25 96
-Dpert Tractodeed Paper 500 sheets £4 50
JOYSTICKS
jlftOfl
except those marked ".
Trigger Grip Models L
Qutckshot turbo
Python 1M £7 99
Jettightm £12 00
Topatai £1950
Sigma Ray £14,96
Base fire Button Models
Mavei.Lik IM £12.96
Zh £12.96
Comp Pro 5000' £10 96
Camp Pro i £12 96
Comp Pro Star £12 96
Cruiser Multicolour * £9 96
Ad MdGravis t £24 99
Advanced Gravis Clear 27 99
Comp Pro Star MINI £14 98
Aviator 1 FUgMyxM 50
Handheld Mod*
Speeding £10 50
Navigator £13 95
ANALOG JOYSTICKS
These Joystick will fit any Amiga
Warrior5 £1495
Saitek Megagnp 3 £19.50
Speedking Analog £13.95
Intruder5 £25.50
Aviator 5 Flightyoke £27.50
Adapter to use any PC analog joystick
on an Amiga ONLY £4.99
Access
0782 206808 Anytime
= 0782 642497 • 9.00em-5.30pm Weekdays
0630 653193/0782 3201 1 1 • Evenings & Weekends
F
BUSINESS HOURS
9am to 10pm Mon-Sat, 10am to 6pm Sun
All items and otters subject to availability. E&OE
Postage £3.30: Next Day £3.75
We accept POs, cheques & credit cards
MitttfCftrd
Pl ease write Cheque Card Number on ch< lor instant clearance
BUSINESS AND EDUCATION ORDERS WELCOME All Price* BM VAT
COMPUTER SUPPLIES 36 HOPE ST, HANLEY, STOKE ON TRENT ST1 5BS
LETTERS 37
Have your say. We've got £25
on offer for the best letter each
month. Send your opinions to:
"Talking Shop", Amiga Shopper,
30 Monmouth Street, Bath, Avon
BA 1 2BW.
AN EVOLUTIONARY
RUT?
I suppose everyone is excited about
the new "Super Amiga", with its
RSIC CPU that is five times faster
than the Pentium, the AAA chip set that will
compete with Silicon Graphics' machines, the
ability to run Windows NT... The list Is endless,
and I have to say I'm more than a little interested
myself, but Commodore haven't shown us
anything yet.
What's most surprising Is that nobody has
noticed a tiny problem about that CPU, the one
that's five times as fast as the Pentium: it
doesn't exist. Not a single present day CPU
approaches that kind of performance. The 66MHz
Pentium has a performance of around 65
SPECint92 and 63 SPECfp92 (that's,
respectively. Integer and floating point speed
measurements - EdJ. The new Super Amiga chip
is going to have to produce at least 325
SPECint92 and 315 SPECfp92. The first RISC
chip to attain that level of performance will be
DEC'S Alpha line, In the form of the EV-5, which
won't be available until mid-1995 at the earliest.
Even If Commodore do manage to pull that
off, if the new machine runs Windows NT then rt
will be an Amiga only in name. Look at Silicon
Graphics: they got fed up making NT machines
based on their Mips R4x00 CPU and handed over
the job to NEC, and returned to their own UNIX
OS which they tailored the way they wanted it.
Windows NT. In contrast, is a shrink-wrapped
operating system which is basically unmodiflable
by vendors. If Commodore goes down the path of
NT then CBM might stay, but the Amiga and Its
customers will not make the transition.
Perhaps Commodore should take this
opportunity to really enhance the Amiga's
operating system. Release 2 didn't really provide
any fundamental changes, such as memory
protection and virtual memory, networking, object
orientation or multi-user support. Since Its birth
the Amiga has had dozens of features that PC
users are now raving about, such as pre-emptive
multi-tasking. Dynamic Link Libraries and inter-
process communication. Commodore should have
made more of the Amiga's then advanced
features to developers instead of letting the
machine become nothing more than a console
with a keyboard. Commodore have been accused
of resting on their laurles over graphics, but the
problem is much greater.
I have had experience on a number of
machines. Including the Acorn Archimedes. IBM
PCs and Apple Macintoshes, and would like to
say that the Amiga beats them hands down, but rt
doesn't. Unless Commodore do something really
special with the new Super Amiga, I'm off to
spend my money somewhere else because I can't
afford to be stuck In an evolutionary rut, which is
where the Amiga Is now.
David Lambert
Garrowhlll, Glasgow
Well made points. The things you mention -
memory protection, multi-user support, and so forth
- are of course the features of a truly professional
operating system to run on a truly professional
computer. Perhaps we'll see this mystery
Commodore buyer (turn to page 4 for the very
latest on this) starting to market the Amiga as the
high-end system it could be.
But some people are more than happy with the
Amiga's operating system as it stands...
WHO NEEDS WINDOWS?
One of the best reasons to choose the Amiga In
preference to other computers is Workbench.
Compared to other operating systems such as
Windows or System 7, the Amiga's bevelled, fully
multi-tasking environment is a great pleasure to
use, not to mention extremely versatile. Titles
such as Real 3D 2, ADPro 2.5 and PageStream 3
all conform to Commodore's guidelines, which has
to be a good thing.
What concerns me. however. Is that
Commodore claim that the new Amiga range will
be compatible with Windows NT (In the interview
with Dawn Levack In Issue 37). If this Is the case,
there would be little incentive for developers to
produce Workbench and Amiga-specific software,
simply because they would make more profit from
developing for Windows.
To be honest, I very much doubt we need
Windows compatibility anyway. With SBase Pro 4,
Real 3D 2. PageStream 3, Brilliance, Bars And
Pipes Professional and ADPro 2.5, the Amiga
leads all other platforms in graphics, business,
sound and desktop publishing. Okay, so the PC
has Word For Windows, but PageStream 3 is
every bit as good as this package for raw word-
processing, and has the advantage of powerful
Integrated DTP facilities. What I'm trying to say is
■-,
ET
■C73E 33D
<3
t s a
HI SB 9D
HE IB !fl IE
Windows - that monster of a graphics front-end so
prevalent among PCs. But Windows for the next
Amiga? Pah! -Who needs it" asks Daniel White?
that we shouldn't want PC compatibility and, as
Amiga owners, should Instead advise owners of
other machines to switch over and use the best
computer available - the Amiga.
Daniel White
Walsall, West Midlands
Any plans that Commodore may have had about
the new Amiga I'm certain wilt be on hold for the
lime being, at least until a buyer has been
announced.
Sorry to be a realist, but what you say about
the Amiga leading all other platforms in "graphics,
business, sound and desktop publishing" just ain't
true. PageStream 3 may well turn out to be the
best DTP package on any platform, but until it's
finished and on sale we won't know. And Final
Writer may be the best Amiga word processor, but
tt just isn't as powerful as Word For Windows.
CONFIDENT WITH AREXX
Having started using Art Department Professional
only recently, I would be very interested In
writing/learning scripts for this and other
programs. As I've never attempted to use ARexx
before I'll obviously need some basic
programming techniques, so maybe It would be
possible for you to cover both topics (basic
techniques and the writing of scripts for specific
programs) all In one regular monthly column.
As more readers and Amiga users In general
become confident with ARexx programming the
higher-end programs become less threatening to
the average user who may venture Into using
more serious software and thus lift the Amiga up
with them.
Fran Guerin
Co. Dublin, Ireland
We did actually run an ARexx series from issues 19
to 36 doing pretty much what you're suggesting,
including the writing of scripts for ADPro. If enough
people think it's worth going over this ground
again, perhaps in more depth, then we will.
JUST AS IT IS
Great magazine - keep It just as It Is (well,
nearly)! Please start an assembly language
tutorial (you asked - I'm telling), and also only
put a cover disk on the mag occasionally.
Gary Whelan
Dukinfleld, Cheshire
After overwhelming demand. I'm pleased to
announce that you can look forward to an assembly
language tutorial in the very near future (and the
cover disk will remain an occasional item).
THE LUCKY ONE OR TWO
I would like to say that although the prizes that
you give away are great, they are inevitably for
the lucky one or two that get picked. How about
offering a smaller prize such as a decent
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
38 LETTERS
shareware program (EasyCalc, for example), thus
letting more people have the chance to win and
also help those who need our backing - the
programmers?
I know that tho prizes you give away are
donated by very generous organisations, but that
is also their way of getting the product
advertised. So how about letting the smaller
programmers make some money - it's the only
way thoy will survive? I would be willing to pay a
nominal fee to take a chance on winning.
If my letter Is printed I will be sending for your
editors Complete Amiga C as I find Toby
Simpson's articles very Interesting and
Informative.
Barry Noble
Stockton. Cleveland
That's the sort of letter I like to read! (Turn to page
82 to discover how to order your very own copy of
the book that everyone's saying is "a book about C
programming on the Amiga. ") But seriously, Barry,
we're actively looking lo increase the number of
competitions we have running each month so we
can have a number of smaller prizes on offer as
well as the biggie. The idea of giving away
registered shareware packages is an excellent one
-we'll certainly look into it.
FROM LITTLE ACORNS
Firstly, congratulations on producing a brill
magazine. I know you feel that cover disks are
"Boring Bulletins" but I must agree with you on
your policy of only supplying a cover disk when
you feel it would benefit the readers. How many of
us have a box of disks that are hardly ever used? I
personally extract programs I feel i may use,
store them on to disks according to categories
(Utilities, Text Editors, Art etc.) then use the
original cover disk for other work.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank
you for your latest DTP article, "The World Is
Designed." After reading it I thought I should do
something along these lines, as DTP is a subject I
am interested in, but a« yet had done very little to
learn about. The result Is that after a bit of leg
work, chatting to various shop keepers and a few
hours at the dek, I now have two newsagents,
one garage and one gift shop who are willing to
use my services. Also, after having popped into a
local publishing establishment for a chat, there
may be the possibility of doing some proof reading
(albeit on a very occasional basis). Still, from
little acorns and all that...
In a recent publication I read a letter from a
reader who wanted to know why Commodore
didn't supply a monitor with the top-of-the-range
A4000; as we all know, if you were to buy a PC or
Mac at that sort of price you would get a
complete set-up. The argument was that the
Amiga is a "home computer" that can be used
with a TV I except that the A4000 doesn't have a
TV modulator - Edj. I suppose there may be some
poor little rich kid who can spend daddy's (or
mummy's - Ed I money on a top-of-the range
computer just to play games on, but what a
waste!
The A4000 is something any Amiga fan would
love to own. myself included, but surely it is
aimed at the professional or serious end of the
market? I would like to see the A4000 also
supplied with something like a PC or Mac
emulator as well; perhaps this would be one way
of stopping youngsters selling their beloved
Amigas and having to trade down to an "industry
standard' machine (IBM compatible, in other
words). That way we would surely get the best of
all worlds. Such a machine could be used in
schools and colleges. I know that Commodore
want to be taken seriously by the commercial
world - is this one way to start the ball rolling?
As a closing note, I would also like to add my
support for articles on machine coding.
Alan Martin
Kensington Gore. London
It's really great to hear the DTP article led you to
success. I hope things continue to go well.
You suggest the A4000 should be sold with an
emulator as standard - I guess that's really the
idea behind next year's "Super Amiga" with its
Windows NT compatibility. But I do wonder if Daniel
White (see his letter on the previous page -
Definitely Amiga-Based) isn't correct when he
suggests that developers wouldn't bother
developing Amiga specific software if they had the
option of creating Windows NT software without
losing out on the Amiga market.
THE SPAGHETTI APPROACH
So people are asking for articles on assembler
programming (see the letter A Vote For Assembler
in last month's Issue - Ed J. This may not be a
good idea. Don't get me wrong; It's not that I
dislike assembler, but I fear what Is coming... the
straight through method of coding (starting at line
1 and carrying on till line 573), the immediate use
of the Exec library's Forbid routine, the accesses
to fixed system memory locations, the hard-
coding of parameters for screen height and so on.
the spaghetti approach to branches, the
implementation of timing and delays via
continuous loops...
I quake with anticipation of programs that
crash on processors with caches; that scramble
the screens of machines other than the one used
by the programmer; that don't respect mode-
promotion; that fall over at the next system
upgrade; that collapse into a state of shock on
finding a non-standard peripheral or memory
board; that wage civil war on background tasks;
that adopt the ethnic cleansing approach to the
operating system and fellow programs...
Before you proceed, please read the ACC
review on page 64 of your January 1994 Issue
(turn to page 62 if you missed this one). Please
have a look at Code Clinic on pages 46 and 47 of
your June issue - for taking keyboard input,
"reading the SbfecOl register is not guaranteed
to work." Compare this to the assembler tutorial
in one of your rival's magazines - "reading the
keyboard couldn't be easier... all you have to do
is read the byte held in SbfecOl."
The Amiga has an operating system that I can
only describe as beautiful (a word I've not heard
much in connection with other machines' system
software). It multi-tasks faultlessly, never drops a
signal, runs on low-cost and accessible hardware,
has negligible overheads, and Is almost infinitely
expandable.
Could I ask that you approach assembler (if
you do so) from the point of view of structured
programming techniques and by using the
operating system? Indeed, you could do a few
articles on the Amiga's system generally. Judging
by the disasters that are commonly seen, you
might start by explaining Intuition's message-
passing system (perhaps using assembler to bring
out its power).
DR Halliday
Catford. London
Hey. you can rest assured that our assembler
series will be presenting nothing but the very best
programming techniques, along with operating
system-legal code. You should expect no less,
especially since all of the examples you quote from
It's amazing
Pie Marriage of
Julie Chalmers
and
Kevin Steele
Saturday Nth August. 1993
2.30 p.m.
al
Si. Helens Church. Ilurton Joyce
what you can do
with your Amiga.
Kevin Steele
used it to create
the stationary
for his own
wedding (with a
bit of help from
the best man
and his scanner,
naturally).
previous issues reinforce exactly that.
MY WEDDING LAST YEAR
You are always asking us to write and tell you
what we get up to with our Amigas. so here is a
quick idea that may save some readers a few
hundred quid.
As it's spring, the time when many people
start planning a summer wedding in earnest and
panicking about how to pay for It all. I thought
you might like to hear about my wedding last
year. As I said, it's very expensive these days, so
anything that helps cut the bills has to be a good
thing. I used my trusty Amiga to produce all the
stationary for the whole thing, and here's how...
The equipment I own Is nothing flash at ail -
an A1200 with 80Mb hard disk, Philips monitor
and a Citizen 9-pin printer (I also loaned a few bits
and pieces).
The invites were written In Wordworth 2,
using the Blackchancery font (which I got free on
a cover disk with Amiga Shopper) and printed on
to "parchment type" paper, bought for five pence
a sheet. Each invite was Individually printed with
the person's name - a little time consuming, but
worth the effort. They were then rolled into scrolls
and tied up with ribbons to match the
bridesmaids' dresses.
The order of service was a little bit trickier,
but I'm quite proud of it. The cover was laid out in
PageStream 2. The picture of the church was
scanned in from a parish magazine using a Power
Scanner and touched up in Deluxe Paint. It was
printed out at A4 size on a Canon BJlOex. The
inside was done in Wordworth 2, and again
printed with the Canon. The seating plan was
done In PageStream 2. and all the "thank >ous" .
present lists and so on were done in Wordworth 2.
All In all, I'm sure I saved quite a lot of money
and got a far more personal set of stationary than
any of the shops offered. I hope this inspires
someone else to have a go, and really make their
Amiga work for its living.
PS. I must just say thanks to Alastair, my
best man, who let me use his Power Scanner and
BJlOex printer.
Kevin Steele
Netherfleld, Notthlngham
Many congratulations - I just hope you're not
devoting too much of your time to your beloved
Amiga!
We're always interested in hearing about
unusual uses for the Amiga, so please write in if
you have one to share.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
LETTERS 39
THANKS FOR MY PHONE BILL
What has happened to your comms coverage? It
seems to be getting less and less space In the
magazine, almost as It you were trying to lose It
altogether. Please don't! I've just seen the latest
Issue of Amiga Shopper, number 38. and almost
missed Dave Winder's review of Terminus. It
wasn't even included in the contents.
wit.it I find really amazing Is that right now
comms and the Internet are getting massive
media coverage - the newspapers, magazines and
radio are all doing stories about comms. In fact,
didn't I see your own Dave Winder on BBC 2's The
Net explaining the Internet?
I don't know about anyone else - maybe I'm
his only fan and that is why he is vanishing - but I
think Dave Winder is an excellent writer about
comms; I really look forward to his columns. If It
wasn't for Dave I wouldn't have got into comms
at all; his words enthused me. so I have him and
Amiga Shopper to thank for my phone bill!
Seriously though, when I first started buying
the magazine there was a two page column every
month, then it became every other month, then
only one page, and now we are lucky to see one
page (if wo con find it. seeing as how you hide It
so well) every three months or so.
What Is happening?
Surely Amiga Shopper is exactly the magazine
that should be at the forefront of this type of
technology?
Jake Pearson
Sutton, Surrey
Indeed it is. and indeed it will be. We cut back on
our comms coverage simply because our surveys
showed very few of you owned or used modems.
Since doing so, we've had a huge number of letters
demanding more comms coverage. Well, you'll all
be pleased to know that the mam feature next
month is going to be a complete guide to the
Internet (turn to page 98 for more details). How's
that for service?
CD-ROM EXPANSIONS
I own an A1200 and, due to the rapidly increasing
use of CD-ROMs, would like to add a CD-ROM
drive to my system. However, like many other
AL200 owners who would be likely to buy this
relatively expensive add-on. I already have an
expansion board connoctod to the CPU expansion
slot where the CD-ROM drive would be connected.
Considering the fact that people likely to
want CD-ROM drives are also the same sort of
people who will have fitted hard drives and
memory expansions, why has no provision for this
been made? I may be stupid, but why not make
the CD-ROM drives come with their own
expansions slots underneath so that existing
boards can be moved there and still be connected
to the computer? Boards have been produced for
the A500 that enable other boards to be
connected alongside (Evesham Micro's
Megaboard, for example), so why not use the
same idea to enable existing expansion boards to
remain connected to the A1200 through the CD-
ROM drive?
Also, with the growing number of FPUs being
used In A1200s and A4000s, will games
manufacturers ever consider producing versions
of their games which will make use of an FPU? I
would have thought that games with many
calculations, such as flight simulators, might
really benefit from an FPU. PC games writers
bend over backwards to cater for the various PC
boards, but the attitude with the Amiga has
IMPROVE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING £25
Wit, intelligent comment, readability, humour - all these are synonymous with Amiga Shopper's
Talking Shop section. In an effort to keep it that way and, if such a thing is possible, improve It, we
offer a little guidance - not to be taken too seriously - towards the sort of letters we'd like to see,
and away from those that, early in the morning, cause the editor to cry: "Oh no! Not another one!"
And don't forget, folks, we give £25 each month to the writer of the best letter.
DELIGHTFUL DISPATCHES
How you would market the Amiga
Yet more unusual Amiga uses
Adventures on the Internet
The Amiga's future
Making money with your Amiga
The dream operating system
The A4000T
MANGY MISSIVES
An assembly column (we've got the message!)
Libellous comments about computer manufacturers
Shameless plugs for Cliff's book
Workbench is better than Windows (we know!)
Don't worry - this Is not an exclusive list. Needless to say, we're more than happy to receive letters
on other subjects. Keep em coming!
always been: "If it doesn't come as standard,
don't bother writing games for it." So will we ever
see FPU games, or 4Mb-only games, on the
Amiga? If we did, many more people would buy
FPUs and more RAM to play these games, just as
they bought the CD32. and the standard of games
would rise; but would manufacturers be willing to
make the first move?
John Burns
Sunderland, Tyne & Wear
I agree with your first point whole-heartedly - we
can only hope a third party manufacturer can step
in with some sort of expansion board, as you
suggest (you can see a full review of the A1200
CD-ROM drive on page 26).
As to your point about FPUs. I personally can't
see many FPU-specific games coming out. Only a
small portion of A1200 owners also have an FPU,
so there simply isn't the market. This isn't to stop
an FPU-enhanced version of a game being sold
alongside its ordinary counterpart, as is the case
with some serious Amiga software, and that would
be no bad thing.
ALL SORTS OF RUMOURS
I am writing to you because, like many other
Amiga owners, I am extremely worried about the
future of the Amiga. For those not up to date with
recent events. Commodore Electronics (based In
America) have gone Into voluntary liquidation,
which could mean the end of the Amiga as we
know it. All sorts of rumours have been drifting
around the Internet lately about who may be
buying Commodore and the Amiga.
However, it's not all doom and gloom; there
The A1200 CD-ROM drive (reviewed on page 26).
Great machine, but why has no provision been
made for the addition of a hard drive?
may be a positive side to this. The obvious action
to take would be to pack up, sell your Amiga and
buy a PC, on the strength that at least Its
manufacturers will still be in business tomorrow.
But what the Amiga needs is fresh talent -
someone who care about what happens to It, and
Isn't just interested in lining their own pockets.
I heard that Jim Drew. DKB, GVP and possibly
NewTek may also put In a bid for Commodore.
These are the kind of people who deserve to own
the Amiga, people with a history of making the
machine a wonderful thing. What we definitely
don't want is some rich corporation, which just
happens to have a bigger wallet than someone
else, to get its greedy mitts on it!
What I, like many other owners who have just
gone AGA. want to know Is: where do we stand? I
mean, there are in excess of six million Amiga
owners out there; what happens to them? Are
they just left with dying technology? Will software
houses still support the Amiga? We want to know
- now!
What I urge other Amiga owners to do is not
to panic and sell your nice new A1200 for a
crappy PC - this would only make the situation
worse. I personally, and I hope David Pleasance is
reading this, won't give up on the Amiga until I
know for certain that It is completely dead (If It
ever Is). And I can guarantee that there are a few
more people who feel the same way - this Is the
sort of following the Amiga has.
No matter what, it is still the best machine
ever to grace the planet, and It's not gone yet.
Matthew Gomer
Radford, Coventry
Not surprisingly, we've been inundated with calls
about this. For the very latest about Commodore
and the Amiga's fortunes, including comments
from top Amiga developers, turn straight to page 4.
You might decry a "rich corporation" buying up
Amiga technology, but consider how much more
successful the Amiga would become if such a
company were prepared to Invest heavily in
development and good marketing. All areas of the
Amiga industry would benefit.
Even in a worst case scenario - and it's one I
don't envisage happening because the Amiga is
just loo good to pass by - where nobody buys
Commodore out. and no more Amigas are ever
made, that wouldn't be the end of the line for us.
As you say. there is an awful lot of Amiga users
around. So long as there is. people will continue to
make Amiga hardware and software. ©
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
40 READER ADS
...or your chance to reach 50,000
fellow Amiga owners for FREE!
— I
FOR SALE
Renddfc 6802 GenlocK with FMC unit £100.
Also Virgo 4Mb RAM Board 3Mo pop for A500
RfO Board Mod. £50. Call Mr Proctor w 0706
229 A36
Amlya ftOOMU 2Mb HAM. iyoaf on tttt
warranty. Loads of games- final Wnler word
processor, Page Stream 2.2 spread sheet. Art
Expression - graphics £500. Call Mr
Attomand • 071 284 0724.
86Mb SCSI H/Drtve cased, Fan/PSU £150.
A590 20Mb H/Onve Inc 2Mb RAM.
*k*ch/WB2 £150. A500 i.3 £120. TT>e lot
£390. Call David * 0709 818 831 (South
Yorfcs.j. Buyer collects
Swap super Nintendo wtth 3 games, Ind
Street Fighter M Turbo for A12O0 memory
upgrade or sell for £110 o.n.o. Phone Carl *
0570 470 927
Amiga ASOO. late revision, enhanced chip
XI. rtUl J 3. GYP 32Mb MD. 3MD RAM
Pnwpf tunpli*s. manual*, nominal boxes
Absolutely ported condition. Will demo/Oeltver
within reason £345. Call Jonathan • 0256
59206.
A4000 /030 4Mb 68882 FPU 120Mb HD
£950. Mtcrovttec Multisync 1440 monitor
(new) £350. Image FX v 1.5 £100. Oevpac 3
£35. All four system manuals £80. Offers
taken. Discounts when buying more than one.
Celt Greg • 0392 876 847
Two 1Mb RAM board* for A4000 £25 each
AO. tail w ujnnington * U352 735 030.
2 I/ 2 ln tDt hafd df1v *» formatted w. bench
a inataJJwl 40Mti fi88. «OMb f 1 ?i' 120Mb
£145. Amigamson presentation and authoring
package currently £180, with manual, all
original £55. Call Ivan v 021 745 9433
Commodore 1940 monitor for sale. Brand
new wang replacement £180. Buyer collects
Call Mr Conway » 0323 647 865 evenings or
weekends. Reason for sate: upgraded to a
Microvrtec.
Amiga 1200. 60Mb HD. external floppy,
disks, mags, etc £400 or pan exchange for
laptop PC. Buyer collects - Edinburgh area.
Call David » 031 449 5553,
Amiga 600 for sale. 2Mb plus battery backed
clock, some software £100* Oxford area Call
Eric • 0865 248 913
Canon BJ10SX 3months old. Boxed ai new
£150 o n,o. Commodore 1084S monitor
£120 o.n.o. Final Copy £30 o.n.o. Contact
Michael » 0246 475 050.
Harlequin 3000 24-Mt graphics card plus
Panasonic hire monitor. The Pest card
available. Cost £1550. sell for £500. Call
Lindsay * 0387 64103 {South Scotland).
Mini office £25. DPalnt 4AGA £30. ABACUS
machine language £10. Mastenng Amiga
Assembler £15. QUE-usmg WordPerfect £15.
Amiga hardware reference mangel £15. Call
Anton w 061 720 7528 daytime.
Micro Text Teletext adaptor. £30. Runs on
any Amiga with PAL/RGB colour monttor, eg
1084S. Phone Derek w 0450 75081. or Ten
Odin BBS on 0450 73071.
Pagesetter 3 boxed, also two disks CO fonts
125. Call Phyllis * 0349 882 909 tarter
6pm).
Amiga 500* WB 2.04 expanded to 2Mb
Boxed with manuals, leads, joysticks, etc.
DPamt3 with manual amd games including
Frontier and lemmings, £170 o.n.o. Call Marw
w 0203 386 947 after 6pm.
Action Replay Mk.lll Cartridge for A500+.
with manual. Only £20. Write to P. Taylor, 19
Cobcar Avenue. Eisecar Bemsiey. South
Yorkshire S74 8AH.
9VP BlMb HP HC*8 series II 2Mb RAM
included on board. Amiga compatible
A1500/2000/3000/4000 Boxed with
manuals £200. Call R. W. Wells » 0793 825
751.
Amiga 500. 2Mb RAM. 2nd disk drive.
Philips 8833 Mkll Monitor. All boxed with
manuals and software. WGC. Also loads of
mags. £230 o.n.o. Call Stephen v 0734 693
846 i evenings).
Dlgiv lew Gold V4 .0 and rombo colour splitter.
Any reasonable offer accepted. Call Mr Proctor
* 0706 229 836
Amiga 1200 127Mb H0 f software, games,
applications, manuals, less than 5 months
old Genuine reason for sale HD guaranteed
for 7 months. £550-560. Call Kayooe w 071
701 3574.
Amiga 4000 040 6Mb RAM. 120 Mb Drive.
All as new Offers around £1,400, Can Mr Hoft
• 02/6 451651.
Amiga 500* 5Mb RAM. 200Mb GVP HD.
Crti/on 24E colour printer, Wordwoth 2*
ProCalc, DPeint IV, WB 2.040. MomeAccounts
2. Quarterback, 200 puppies, all manuals.
many text books £930. Can John v 081 744
9482.
Star LC100 colour printer for sale. Excellent
condiiion. complete wrth box. Onty £99. Call
Mr Jones « 0244 541 071
A500. 1Mb RAM. WB 1.3, boxed, vgc, 2
mice. 2 joysticks. PenPal, DPaint. AMOS, 30
construction kit. games and more. PD.
magazines. £180. Call Jon w 0705 482 700.
Amiga 1200. 40Mb HD. 6Mb RAM FPU,
mutti syric monitor, external floppy drrve.
analogue joystick. UghtRave, serious software
and games Offers around £750. Call Mr
Howse • 0204 650 822 after 6 pm
Amiga 4000/030 4Mb 80Mb HO, 1084
monitor, Crtuen 1200 printer, 2 external
drives, MIDI interface * leads, Music X.
Pagesetter 3. Monkey Island 2. entire Amiga
Forme! + Shopper collection, 100 blank disks,
£1.200 o.n.o. Can Mart* 0274 385 854.
Amiga video backup, save 150 disks, two
13 hour tape £30* For more info call Mr
Knight * 061 790 0962.
Accelerator XA1230 50 MKt
fpu/CPU/mmu makes A1200 fester wan
4000/030 sorry no RAM £300. 2 1/2 in 106
HD for A1200. 200 Mb £150- Call Andy »
0705 504 789
A1200. 120 Mb HO, 40 MH* M1230XA
accelerator, 2 Mb. monitor, jet pnnter, loads
of games and over 100 mags, most boxed
and in warranty £900 o.n.o. Call Wayne w
0947 604 355 after 7pm.
Kfckstart 2.04 ROM £18 o.n.o. Golden Axe
£5. Drohhhcn 10, Rothci Honour £0. Space
warrior II £5 Black Tiger t$ Hnai Whistle £5.
Scramble Spirits £5 Spherical £5. Call D
Sateman » 0904 624637*
A4000/040 2*8 MEM 120 HOrtve IDl 350
MDrrv* SCSI CD-ROM SCSI Oct^on controller
Tapestreamer 1942 monitor. Lots of
hardware, software, CDs. Quick sale needed -
goinfl nhrmvl f 2.SOO Coll L*n Parry • 0524
770 010.
P*tf»*tr**m 3.2 Inc. «H nun.jb dfc»k» plu*
extra font and clipart disk £35. Call Mrs Miller
« 0228 401 480.
Atari STFM 520 with 40 games and mouse
and power suppry £150 o.n.o. Call Andrew »
0782 775 014.
Amiga 600 with accMSOrtM 1150 ono Call
Umo<; « 0724 ft45 49C
Amiga Computing/ Form* mags ♦ disk*.
Vrwous issues from Feb .89 to Feb.93 AH
original. Appro* 45 disks. £40 or swop for
anything useful. Call Mr Roberts * 0522 688
884.
Final Copy II version 2 WP pkrs two Adobe
Type 1 font disks {20 fonts) £40 plus £2
postage. Call OJ Turner » 0843 831 086.
A1200. 64Mb Hard Drive. 4Mb ♦ 28 MH/
accelerator, d*sk drive. PenPal. VKMnuga 12
HI. AdPro + Conversion, OPatnt 4, TT2
Interface, 100s of disks and mags. £995 or
-»«tw«f«»y Colt Mr Sumpter w 0872 572
090.
Amiga Shopper Magazine - your definitive
Amiga gu»de issue 1-37 inclusrve. All cover
disks included £37 o.n.o* Can Mr Eland *
0705 552 940.
Supra 500XP. 52Mb SCSI Hard drive plus
2MD KAM ana 5uixd eternal power supply
£250- Call Paul » 0533 701 367 after 8pm
SAS/C Lattice C 5.10, complete wtth ail
manuals and disks AmigaDOS compatible
£100. Call Pete w 0623 650 013.
A1200 2Mb. 85 Mb HOD. 1940 8rtyr*c
monitor. Canon BjlOsx. 4 games. )OySUCk. As
new. six months Ok}. All for £650 - no offers.
Can lain 0684 275 537 after 6pm. Must sell
- a bargain*
Amiga 1200. 60 Mb Internal hard disk,
including warranty. 6 Mb ram, FPU, colour
monitor, including warranty, external floppy
df«. scnous and games software, offers
around £800 » 0246 221750 only after 6pm
Power Computing PC1204 RAM and Co pro
board for A1200 4Meg 32-brt RAM, 68882
FPU running at 33Mtv. Doubles the speed of
your A1200 Costs £280. accepts £200
Unwanted gift New. Can Daniel » 0706
227767
■4000 030 2i4 Mb RAM Western MgHal
250Mb Hard Drive Philips colour monitor.
Power high densrty external dnve, 300 utilities
and games. Still under guarantee. Boxed as
new. Sensible offers » 041 8870536.
Amiga 6004. Original software and manual*.
GVP 52 Mb HO. KC5 power board. Philips
CM8833(i monrtor Large selection of games
and utilities. Sell separately or packed
£650 o.n.o. Andrew w 0656 773947.
Workbench 2.04 kit and ROM sharer
Includes disks, manuals and chjp. £55. Peter
Ecclestone. 4 Central Street. Mount Pleasant.
Mow coP. SO-T, ST7 4NZ. Games also. Write
with S.A.E. for list.
Amiga 1200. 80 Mb h-rd disk, 1940 AGA
monitor word processors, paint and
programmmg packages. Games including
frontier. Boxed » new. 6 months warranty.
Loods of mags. £720. • 0684 833 361.
170 Mb IOC Hard Drive sultaMe for
A60O/A12O0. Preloaded with Workbench 3.0.
Only a few weeks old. £195. » 0903
244402.
Amiga A1200. 80Mb Hard Drive, external
tinvo 4M0 Hawk fast RAM workstation. £490.
v 0582 866070
OVP AS30 t 80Mb HD. 1Mb 32BIT RAM, 40
Mh7 68030CC processor, boxed £390. KCS
PC Emulator for A500* wrth MSOOS vers and
manuals. £75 w 021 3314027 (evenings).
CftUen Swtft printer 9/9X. Boxad with
manual and colour kit. As new. £110. Call
0484 656486 or wnte to 170 Lowergate
Paddock, WetiersfkJd. West Yorkshire
A1200 HD. 85Mb. Full warranty. £400.
Bnmance £95. Both new. boxed and unused*
• 0273 493659.
68882 50 Mhj maths copro (POA). Suitable
to* most 68030 ©cceiecoto* cords. The device
has teen tested but not used. Supplied m
original anti static package Bargain £80 »
0703 862898.
1Mb A500. hardly used original, boxed,
complete^ plus games. )oy suck, manuals
£195. Call Ted » 0742 874827.
CD32 wtth Oscar and Diggers £200 (o.n.o.).
As new. Wme io Mattnew PKkersgiM. 27
Crescent Rd.. Duk*nneW» Cheshire. SK16 4E7.
Amiga 2000. 030. 40Mtu FPU. 8Mb FAST.
2Mb Chip. 120Mb Hard Dnve. loads of
software, idea* fo* desk top v^deo/puWishing.
£900 Edrtman Editor for panasorwc VCRs.
£300. w 0773 857204
CBM 1940 Dual Sync monitor. Less than 4
months old. Boxed as new £180 o.n.o. Buyer
collects. » 0242 241 769
Mtcrobotic* MBX1200 tor A1200. 14 Mhj
68881 FPU with 2Mo 32M RAM. Boxed as
new 0n!y 6 months old. Call Sean w 061
4804446 (after 6pm J.
AMAX II Plus MAC Emulator. Software,
manual and MAC ROMs £200 » 0532
680787.
Drum machine. Roland R5. 68 different 30
bit drum and bass sounds Hardly used, ideal
for MIDI Musician Boxed with manual and
leads. £200. Call Darren • 0689 856470.
Clarity 16. 16BIT sampler, edit, effects, loop.
etc. Single track sequencer, £75.
Megakisound 8 Bil direct to disk sampler plus
Sell your used hardware and software in Amiga Shopper for FREE!
The editor reserves the right to refuse or amend errors or losses arising from the use of this service. Trade ads will not be accepted, Including
ads. We accept no responsibility for typographical anyone advertising the sale of PD software.
Name
Address (not for publication)
Postcode Date
Tel
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
{ Unfortunately we cannot guarantee insertion in a particular issue.
I I have read and understood the conditions for the inclusion of my ad.
I
i
Issue 39
Tick to show
required heading
For sale □
Wanted □
Personal ....□
Fanzines J
BBSs
.□
Use one space for each word. Only the words in this section will be printed.
Return to:
Reader Ads.
Amiga Shopper,
30 Monmouth
Street.
Bath.
Avon BA1 2BW.
Signature
audromaster IV software £50. Call Darren »
0689 856470.
M1230XA 40 Mhi 68030 accelerator. 4Mb
RAM For A1200. £320. Also Amitek 4Mb 1&
bit RAM card t 1125 Call Steve « 0388
605767 (after 5.30pm).
Arrrija A4000 040 10Mb RAM, 120Mb Hard
Drive. All as new - own m* ultra fast superb
Amiga flagship machine, £1500. Call Ntt* »
0242 525461
Amina 1200 and Philips &S33 monrtor.
Boxed with manuals. Perfect conottwn
Games and software available. All originals.
Gerwine reason for sa*e t £350. » 0268
771409.
Arnica 1200 64Mb Hard Drive. Virtually
brand new. Boxed, guaranteed. Purchased
from Silica. Simply not used by middle-aged
owner* includes games, senous. GFA, Basic
etc. Offers » 0746 571328.
PCMCIA card for A1200/600 2Mb. £65.
AMOS manual. £6.50. 10 out of 10 matfts.
erifc|i$r> (brand new - unwanted pniei
£7.50/eactv 0Paint3. unopened. £10. 40 Mb
IDE drive. £1 10. » 0273 493659.
A1M0 2Mb, 1940 Mutttsync, Cation BJ10SX
printer, 85Mb HDD. Less than su months old.
Complete with Frontier and Syndicate.
Excellent corxhbon. Buyer collects, £825
o.n.o. » 0242 221577
SSL A5000 accelerator for ASOO; 68020 at
16 Mlu, FPU at 20 Mh* and 4Mb 32-6rl RAM.
in perfect working order, £200 o.n.o. CW
Jason w 0252 722811.
OVP AS30. 80Mb Hard Drive, 40 Mlu 68030
accelerator. 1Mb 32*t RAM. 6 months
guarantee. Que** sale £330. Also A500
WB1.3 + 20 (ROM sharerh 1Mb chip RAM
£130, » 081 688 6202.
PERSONAL
Graphic artist/animator wtth a keen Interest
m designing ar\d graph^cairy producing games
needed bv Amiga enthusiast wtx> would like to
get tnto games programming. Please can
Sterling » 081 677 3110.
WANTED
GVP A530 80Mb* Hard drtve wtth 40MHi
accelerator. Can Mr Hall w 0525 716 332.
'Understanding Imagine 2.0" book. Good
pne* payed Ca*i John 0823 289 595
(evenings).
Amiga A15O0 Internal hard drtve. SCSI
interface & all other hardware for A1500
machine also considered Also CDTV wanted
(discs & machine | Cash waiting. Call Peter ■
0865 772 912
GVP Hard Drive for ASOO* 170 Mb or higher.
Will pay £200 o.n.o. Call Arf w 0254 691 203
between 5pm and 8pm.
Amiga 1200 and modem, must be BABT
approved. Will buy separately or together. Also
wanted external disk drive. Call James «
0724 845 490
CDTV contacts and Into wanted. Call Nigel
• 021 449 4032.
BULLETIN BOARDS
High tension BBS. Amiga onty system
Hundreds o' flies online, speeds up to 14400,
New users always welcome. Call 0734 794
923 10pm - 7am/ 7 days a week. Friendly
SYSOP.
Pilgrim* BBS. Amiga only system. Loads ol
files/messages online. CDftOM free access,
no ratios, speeds up to 144O0, great SYSOP
open 6pm Fridays to 6am Mondays. Call w
0752 366 939.
The Power Plant BBS - loads of files online.
24hrs. speeds up to 16.8 D/S. Go on give us
a call you never know, you might like it! Call
Nealtr 0229 431 590.
Amiga Bun BBS. New telephone no.
» 0924 491 461. New opening times 7pm -
5am weekdays and 24 hrs at weekends.
Hew members for Plymouth's only Amiga
BBS. Online CDROM, complete Fred Fish/17
Bit libraries, fnendry SysOp. Open 6pm Fridays
io 6am Mondays. * 0752 366939,
TerWWIn BBS. Speeds to V328IS. 24hrs
New CDROM every mgm. No U/D ratios. Fish
11000, 17 Bit 1-2800. « 0450 73071
(modem) or 0450 75081 (voice). Euro Scene
1 coming soon.
The Shining BBS. Amiga only system. Loads
of flies, messages and anything else you
could possibly wantl AJI speeds to 14400.
Open all cheap rate times! Call it now! CUL8R
» 0730 895789
Amiga users! CaH Clacton's finest BBS.
No up/download rations. Up to 14.400 bps.
Great Sysop » 0225 434992 l0prr>-8am, 7
days a week. Sailors Rest BBS. Amiga Tavern
BBS 10OS Amiga, hundreds ol files online.
Connected to Rdonet . All speeds up to 16.8k
HST. Calt now on • 0455 840729. 24hrs.
See you there.
Southend's largest Amiga BBS plus PC area!
And a SYSOP that answers the pager, orvline
24nrs weekends. 7prr>-7am weekdays, with
great download ratios. Call today Den's Oen
BBS 0702 464818.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
AMIGA ANSWERS
CONTENTS
AT-A-GLANCE
1942 monitor 45
A1200 42
A1200 memory expansion 45
A4OO0 42
ASCII 45
Assembly language 45
Assignments 46
Bulletin boards 46
C 45
Canon BJ-10 47
Citizen Swift printer 48
Clocks 48
Compugraphic Fonts 43
DPaint 4 (AGA) 43
Devpac 3 45
Download time 46
File crunchers 47
Fountain 48
HP 500C 43
HP Deskjet drivers 43
MP deskjet 310 47
Hacking 46
Hand scanners 47
Hayes command set 46
Kickstart 43.46
LHArc 47
Libraries 43,45
Macintosh 42, 45
Motorola FFP 45
PC 42
PCMCIA card 45
Pagesetier 43, 46
PostScript Type 1 fonts 49
Printer comparability 43
ProPagc 47
RAD 48
ROM sharers 42. 46
Resident commands 46
Scanning coins 47
Screen flickering 45
Small business 42
Startup-sequence 45
Stereo ouput 46
Studio Printer 43
SupraModem 2400 Plus 46
ToolTypes 46
Vldl-12 42
OUR EXPERTS TACKLE YOUR REAL-LIFE PROBLEMS
T
SING THE ICONS TO FIND WHAT A QUESTION'S ABOUT
Questions
raising
basic
problems
1 U1i:i:U:fl or dealing
with elementary
5P"
General
Amiga-
related ■
queries or
questions
that don't fall under
other headings.
GENERAL
i Queries
related to
the whole
area of
I Amiga
desktop publishing.
.' * / L
DTP
i Questions
about
"tt."-" - ' I monitors,
K" -jji including
f : i in": - i it-h-vi m..
display problems.
^^■MB Queries
ff^ffil relating to
-2?A general
^—mK*Zd hardware,
i:n.MV/iTi excluding
kit covered by other
headings.
Questions
asking for
■_ . -. .ft ft
advice in
■ i'Wi:r.rl an y area,
hardware or software.
■ Queries
about
printers,
printer
drivers
and hardcopy
problems.
PRINTERS
CODING
Questions
about
coding (no
matter
which
Queries
about
using your
Amiga
%,'i I 3 I' J with video
hardware such as
genlocks or digitisers.
MUSIC
Questions
about
MIDI.
sampling.
music
software and
synthesisers.
rru-f bC
Queries
about
specific
software
packages
COMMS
problems.
Questions
relating to
comms,
including
modem
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
42 AMIGA ANSWERS
^Hfc.
^^^^^^m
n
i 1-^
r /
-
. A
^W ^^
- : x
Are you suffering from Amiga problems? Graeme
uui nit funi and his team will find an answer.
ello and welcome once again, to the area
of Amiga Shopper where you can turn to
find all the answers to questions
concerning your Amiga. It's my privilege, as
Amiga Shopper's technical writer, to make sure
that not one of your problems is left unsolved.
Don't worry, we can help - no matter how simple
or complex they may be. At Amiga Shopper we
want you to get the very best out of your Amiga.
That's why we devote more space than any other
magazine to this indispensable service, so please
make the most of It and keep your questions
coming in. I will do my very best to find a solution
to all your problems.
Don't worry if you come across any unfamiliar
terms, just turn to one of our jargon-busting boxes
to receive an explanation. The problems are put in
a wide context for everybody's benefit. The index
on the previous page is your guide to the topics
covered this month.
By now. you are probably familiar with our team
of Amiga experts. Mark Smiddy knows all there is
to know AmigaDOS and floppy drives. Jeff Walker
is our desktop publishing, fonts and printer
correspondent. Gary Whiteley. is a trusted expert
on video applications and graphics. If you have a
query about comms. we'll set our communications
guru Dave Winder on the case. Toby Simpson is
our code clinician. If you've got problems with
anything from C to assembler, try taxing his little
grey cells. Finally, we've got a man you can rely on
when it comes to operating systems programming
- Paul Overaa.
Don't be afraid to let all your queries,
problems, worries, or general tips and hints come
pouring in - they're what we live for. With a good
tip you could be a tenner richer. Write to me and I
will do my best to sort you out!
IT ALL ADDS UP
The small company that I work for
requires a computer to perform a
variety of tasks. I was hoping you
could advise me on the best choice
as we only can afford to buy one
computer to do them all. Our absolute top budget
is around £1,000, but we would gladly pay less.
Above all, the computer must be easy to use.
We need to use It for VAT accounts which
must be acceptable to the VAT offices, and for
simple profit and loss accounts to tell us our
incomings and outgoings. At present we pay an
accountant whose first task when he does our
accounts is to enter all the information, which has
already been put into our accounting books by us.
on to his Apple Mac - obviously a very ineffective
way of going about things. Having our own
computer to put the accounts on to, and then
giving the accountant the disk would save a lot of
his time and our money. Would our computer have
to bo an Apple Mac. or could an emulator be used
to transfer the Information from our disk on to his
computer?
We need to use the computer for word
processing. As an illustration studio we need a
wide variety of fonts and character styles, as well
as being able to create many different page
layouts. An appropriate printer must be available
to print the finished items.
Many things in the office have to be put on to
databases. For example, thousands of reference
photograph codes and customer Information. This
must be easily accessible for cross referencing.
Up until now, most computers with the
appropriate software (including our present
computer - an Amstrad PCW 9512) would
probably be able to cope with most of the
requests. The real snag, however, Is that another
part of the business is creating high quality sports
videos which require titling and occasional
graphics, so we also need to do video titling and
frame grabbing. We need to scan artwork
(paintings, drawings, photographs) so that they
can be reproduced using a suitable printer, or
simply handed to our clients in disk form.
I am considering an Amiga, probably an
A1200 as it comes highly recommended for video
work, especially using the Scala software (Is this
available on other computers, by the way?) and is
within our budget. We already have a good quality
TV monitor.
So I guess my main questions are:
1) Would an Amiga be able to cope
adequately with the above tasks, and if not, what
computer would you advise?
2) What accessories (printer, genlock, hard
drive) would you suggest?
3) What is the best software for that
computer, and where to buy such a computer?
Philip Brown
Westerham
Well, let's forget the computer for the moment. In
fact let's forget all the hardware you require and
concentrate on the software. (The prices I'm
quoting are approximate street prices). For your
database and accounts requirements you will need
nothing less than Superbase Pro 4, which costs
about £250. Final Writer {Lib) should fill most of
your word processing needs. Scala MM200 - the
professional multimedia program that beats
anything available for any other computer - will set
you back about another £300. So that's £650
we've spent so far. just on three bits of software.
For frame grabbing you'll need something like
VIDI-12 (£150) or VIDI-24 (£225) or VLAB-24
(£335). A colour hand scanner will cost at least
£240, but if you need to scan wider than four
inches, or if you require proper photorealistic
results, then you will require the Epson GT-6500
flatbed scanner (£650). A decent colour printer like
the Canon BJC-600 or Hewlett-Packard DeskJet
550C will cost £500. (Software to drive that printer
properly will cost £15-£50). A half-decent genlock
will cost about £200.
So that's at least £1,100 on the hardware you
require. Add the software and we've spent about
£1,750 so far, or about £2,300 if we've bought a
better frame grabber and a flatbed scanner.
We haven't bought the computer yet. There is
no doubt that all this hardware and software will
run perfectly well on the A1200 (£289). However
you will require much more memory than the
A1200 comes with as standard - at least another
4Mb (£200). but framegrabbing and scanning will
require 8Mb (£400) or more. You will also require
at least a medium sized hard drive, about £200.
So that's about £900 on the computer, memory
and hard drive.
One of the things professionals normally
require is the ability to expand their computer as
and when necessary. The A1200 is not very
expandable. There is just one expansion port
underneath the computer, and once you've got
something plugged into it. like memory for
instance, then you can't plug anything else into it
without first removing what is already plugged in.
For this reason I recommend most vehemently that
you consider an A4000. which is much faster than
the A1200. comes with a hard drive (but you'll still
need more memory) and has four expansion slots.
Adding the cost of the computer, memory and
hard drive to the costs of the software and
hardware you require, we arrive at approximately
£3.000-£3,500. Whether you buy an Amiga, PC or
Mac, it is going to cost you at least this much
money to buy all the equipment and software
necessary to cope adequately with the tasks you
want your computer system to perform. Jeff
CIA B - THE PLOT CONTINUES
1) On page 45 of AS 36. In your
answer to CIA Plot you Indicate that
the ROM Sharer places an additional
strain on the Amiga. The major
portion of my software runs from 1.3
so I have chosen to Install 2.04 Kickstart on a
sharer. A keyboard control unit seemed safer than
a vulnerable switch fitted to the case, so I went
for the Power Computing unit. What is the level of
extra wear this is imposing?
2) I was advised when I bought the machine
to press Ctrl-A-A to clear the screen - does this
have the same wear problem, and If so, what Is
the solution?
3) With some Coverdisk and other programs I
get a message to "please insert Workbench In
any drive" and "replace volume... in any drive,"
occasionally followed by a crash. What is the
reason and is there any answer to it?
A.R. Stewart
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
AMIGA ANSWERS 43
Lamark, Scotland
1) Perhaps the answer could have been a little
clearer on this point. The additional strain from a
ROM sharer is negligible. The correspondent
already had a lot of other gear bolted on to every
available orifice. Typically ROM sharers only switch
a single enable line on the ROM. and the standby
current drain from the entire circuit is probably no
more than a few hundred micro amps; a similar
drain to that of an LCD pochel calculator.
2) This key sequence, also called the "Vulcan
nerve death grip" from Star Trek's Mr Spock.
Typically, key switches like these are guaranteed
for several million depressions, and. with care will
probably outlast the rest of the machine. (If you
pressed the key once per second, every second, it
could last a month or more).
3) This is a very common problem and easily
solved by an extra drive, or preferably with a hard
dish. The reason is the software you are trying to
run is attempting to load libraries from disk. This
extra software is only loaded when it's needed and
usually lives on the Workbench (boot disk). Some
software will crash if it cannot find the correct
version of a library (rather than telling you):
assumes a library contains a certain function call:
or assumes a function call returns a particular
value. This problem often affects software
designed tor Workbench 2 when it's running with a
1.3 Kickstart. The AmigaDOS utility. ED (sadly) is a
good example. Mark
SHORT MEASURE
I have an Amiga 500 that I have
upgraded to Workbench 2 and
modified for 1Mb of Chip RAM. I have
2Mb of extra memory mounted in a
GVP 120Mb hard drive, plus an
external disk drive, a 1084S monitor and a Fujitsu
Breeze 100 inkjet printer. The hard drive is
divided into two partitions: System (15Mb): and
Work (105Mb). In the Work partition I have a
games draw, plus things like Prodata. Pen Pal.
TextPlus. DPaint and PageSetter3. And therein
lies the problem.
I cannot get PageSetter to print to the
bottom of the page. I know that there should be a
margin of about 13mm, but I cannot get ft any
closer than about 27-30mm from the bottom edge
of the paper.
I am using the standard preferences program
wfth the HP^DeskJet printer driver. This works
fine with Pen Pal and TextPlus. but PageSetter
does not want to know. I have tried various
things, such as changing the page length settings
from A4 to Legal, changing the number of lines
between 66 and 75. and moving the whole page
up and down the paper, but with no success. I
have been told that PageSetter does not use the
Preferences printing program when installed on a
hard drive. Is this true, and what can I do to get it
printing properly?
D A Thorogood
Dagenham, Essex
The Commodore HP_Deskjet driver that comes with
Workbench 2 has a length limitation built into it for
printing graphics, that limitation being
approximately 10 inches, a hangover from when
DeskJets themselves had this limitation. You
require a driver that does not have this limitation.
Various PD drivers are available - contact a PD
library.
Pen Pal and TextPlus print to the bottom of the
page because they are printing text, not graphics;
PageSetter3 prints everything as graphics, even the
text, and it always prints through Preferences in the
standard Amiga way. Jeff
500C DRIVER YET?
I am going to buy a new printer to
use with my 1Mb Amiga 500,
running Workbench 1.3. 1 have been
looking at the Hewlett-Packard
DeskJet range, particularly the
50 oc In a previous Amiga Answer you have
informed people that, although it is potentially a
good printer, a good Amiga printer driver is not
available. Is this still the case? Does the DeskJet
500C have the Improved print technology, like
that of the DeskJet 510? Can any printer be made
to work on an Amiga, printers used with PCs for
example?
Alex Wallace
Thomaby. Cleveland
Any printer can be made to work with the Amiga
provided it has a parallel or serial connection, and
provided there is a proper printer driver and
associated software for it. A lot of the quality
modern printers launched over the past year or so
are not supported by the drivers that come with the
Amiga (some don't have control panels for
example, requiring special preferences programs
and other software to control the built-in features),
but there are third-party solutions like Studio
Printer Software, which contains full and proper
support for many, many printers, including all
Hewlett-Packard DeskJets and LaserJets. Alas, like
most modem Amiga software. Studio requires
Workbench 2 and Kickstart 2 or later, so without
upgrading your A500 (or buying a new Amiga), there
is little or no point in buying a modern, high quality
printer.
The DeskJet 500C does not contain the
improved printing technology that features in the
510, but the (more expensive) 550C does, as do
the new 520 and 560C models. Jeff
NOT ENOUGH MEMORY
I am having problems using CGFonts
with Deluxe Paint IV 464. I am using
CGFonts from both Amiga Shopper
cover disks and Amiga Format
subscriber disks and I have
decompressed them to floppy disk and run them
through Intellifont. But when I try to use them In
Deluxe Paint IV AGA I get a message telling me
that my standard 2Mb Amiga 1200 doesn't have
enough memory for this operationl I have tried
using an empty two colour low res screen, but to
no avail. Please help me with what is hopefully a
simple problem.
Paul Stewart
MTMF. RAF Bruggen. BFPO 25
Regarding your problem, perhaps it will come as no
surprise to you when I echo your Amiga's message
and suggest that you don't have enough memory
for the operation? This may not be because your
Amiga doesn't have enough memory - on the
contrary, it may be because the memory is being
used up in other ways. For example, are you
booting direct from a copy of DPaint IV or are you
running it from Workbench? If the latter, what
resolution Workbench are you using? If it's
anything more than 8 colours and lo-res interlace,
then try reducing it. Don't run any other software
whilst DPaint is running.
I did a quick test and couldn't get DPaint IV
AGA to use more than 1Mb of memory (with a
blank screen), even with a CGFont in use, so I
suspect that one (or all) of the above suggestions
might possibly help you out. Failing this. I'd
suggest that you add more memory to your 1200.
Gary
QUICK, QUICK, SLOW
I need to add extra RAM to my
A120O in order to use Wordworth 3
properly - 2Mb is not really enough,
and I would like another 4Mb. Price
is a big factor, and I am unsure
whether to buy a 16-bit 4Mb PCMCIA card or a
32-bit 4Mb trap-door expansion board. Wfth the
PCMCIA card I realise there will be a bottleneck
in the system with the CPU being 32-bit, but what
is the speed difference in practical terms?
Peter Campbell
Cullybackey, Norn Iron
In practical terms, a 32-bit trap-door expansion will
at least double the speed of your A1200. even the
overall feel will be much quicker, whereas a 16-bit
PCMCIA card will actually slow down the A1200 by
a small amount, making it feel a little more
sluggish than it was before. Jeff
NO USE WHATSOEVER
Having thought long and hard about
upgrading my ancient Atari ST to a
more modem system, I finally
decided that Amiga offered a rather
BEGINNERS better deal than the Mac.
Accordingly, I purchased an A120O from a high
street store. My intention was to get used to the
operating system before deciding which upgrade
path to take. The applications I had In mind were
initially advanced word processing {Protext 6),
low-level business applications and some
children's games. I also had it In mind to get
involved in video editing at some future time as
this relates indirectly to my teaching job.
My initial cause of disappointment was that
the Amiga was of no use whatsoever for any
purpose other than games. I can't believe anyone
would want to tangle with a non-hard-disk
JARGON BUSTING
Partition - part of a hard drive
that sits inbetween any
RAM - Random Access
separated off from the rest.
applications program producing
Memory, so called because any
As far as Workbench.
output and the printer. It
part of it can be accessed
AmigaDOS and the rest of the
converts any codes describing
immediately, rather than having
world is concerned, a partition
text and graphics format
to search through from the
is a disk in its own right.
into a form suitable for a
start of memory to the point of
Problems do come to the fore
specific printer. You can
interest. RAM is used to hold
when you try to copy data
sometimes obtain them from
programs while they are being
between two partitions on the
the printer's manufacturer or
executed. The contents of RAM
same drive.
even in the Public Domain
are lost when the power is
Printer driver - a program
sector.
turned off.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW, LOOK
JUST AMIGA MONTHLY
No bull. No guessing.
9S% advert free.
ORDER FORM 45
BLOCK CAPfTALS PLEASE
*UK 44 SHOWN «OVl
How can we convince you in these few words that JAM is a quality
publication? How can we get across that there is nothing dodgy about
being a subscription-only magazine and that we will still be here next
month, and the month after that, and the month after that..?
Well, how about the fact that the Issue shown above Is number 44.
That means there have been 43 Issues (and 43 months) before It Could
we have flourished for this long If our subscriber base was not a large
one? And If our subscriber base Is a large one, does this not suggest that a
lot of people like what they see? And If we've managed to publish 44
magazines, why on earth we would we want to stop? Sure, we could go
bust, but tor how long must we have been publishing JAM (four years
now) to convince you that going bust is not something we worry about?
What we worry about Is providing real Amiga enthusiasts with an
alternative magazine — one that worries more about well written and
accurate articles than pretty coloured pictures - written and published
by some of the most experienced Amiga users In the world.
Still unconvinced? Then take out an introductory six-Issue trial and
judge us by our actions. You've got nothing to lose... well, except £10. &n
STUDIO WILL ENHANCE THE OUTPUT FROM ALMOST ALL AMIGA SOFTWARE
"Siudio c*n make a real difference 10 the *You need thts software if you own a printer"
quality of your printouts it's particularly c.U Amiga. May 1993
strong when deaNr* with colour * -The quality realty has to be seen to be
Amiga Format, October 1993 believed'" Amiga Mart, May 1993
£10 (Europe £N)
uintmm £ 15 (Europe HO)
a
□
□
□
□
□
(WB2+, registered shareware version of the CanonDisk.
More features, more documentation, no crippled bits.)
I I STAR DISK £15 (Europe ao)
^~* (Enhanced drfvers for Star (_C 9/24-p/n and SJ-48//44
printers, price Includes Intro 6 Issue trial to JAM)
I enclose a cheque/money order for £
NAME
INTRODUCTORY 6 ISSUE TRLAL „
(3 back issues * 3 Issue subscription)
6 ISSUE SUBSCRIPTION
(Storting with the current Issue)
12 ISSUE SUBSCRIPTION „.„. £25 (Europe ns)
(Storting with the current issue)
STUDIO PRINTER SOFTWARE £49.95
(WB2*. supports all Deskjets, Laserjets and compatibles,
Ricoh LPI200, and most Epson compatible 24/48-p/ns)
STUDIO LIGHT £15 (Europe £20)
(W62+, usable demo of Studio with fixed settings for all Oj
and Lj printers, price includes intro 6 Issue trial to JAM)
CANON DISK „.„_ £15 (Europe £20)
(WB2+, Enhanced drivers for use with Canon bubble jets
and lasers, price Includes Intro 6 issue trial to JAM)
CANONSTUDIO £15
POSTCODE
DATE
/ /
Cheques and money orders
made out to:
JAM
Telephone 0895 274449
Send your order to:
Just Amiga Monthly
75 Greatfields Drive
Uxbridge. UB8 3QN
Photocopy or use a separate piece of paper if you dont want to cut your magazine
ATTENTION!
Amiga 500 & 500+ owners
Replacement internal floppy
disk drives for just
£30
each
Price Includes delivery and vat Offer strictly subject to availability.
• 28 day no quibble money back guarantee •
Name
Address
Postcode
_ Tel. No.
I would like to order disk drives at £30.00 each.
Please tick one of the following:
I enclose a cheque/PO for £.
Cumana Limited.
made payable to
Please debit my Access/Visa card (please delete):
Number
Card expiry date /.
Cardholders signature
Orders may be placed by telephone - 0483 503121 or tax -0 483 45 1371
or sent to Cumana Ltd. Pines Trading Estate. W J9^
Broad Street, Guildford, Surrey GU33 Dill (t fllMAUA
Please allow 21 days for delivery. L mkUITUUlM
from
[L@lL&
VIDEO OPTIONS L4020
Plug in card for A4000
Five outputs:- R.F. (TV) + Y/C ♦ 3 x Composite
Designed to produce quality multi-output
options from the video port - only £ 150
aa m
ini PRO Genlock L1 000
AMIGA 1
SHOPPER 1
'has to be 1
„ n GOLD
|5SK9H| AWARD
CAMCORDER
gnjJHnH user
^^Hf^^^^^^^^^M 'Best Peripheral'
a good buy"
1 993-4
__^ £149.95
A.U.I ™ — ™"~^™""^~
"I will have no hesitation in pushing aside the genlock
I have been using for the last 5 years and replacing it
with the MiniPRO"
LOLA MARKETING LTD
FREEPOST, MARKET HARBOROUGH,
LEICESTERSHIRE LE16 7BR
TEL: 0858 880182
f r
_
E3
ALL PRODUCTS DESIGNED AND MADE IN UK
Prices include VAT.
Still
available
L500
miniGEN
genlock £69
AMIGA ANSWERS 45
DEVILISH MATHS
mm
CODING
About flvo months ago I bought the
excellent Devpsc 3, but I do not
have much experience in assembly
language and can only use Integers
In my programs. How do I use
decimal numbers for operations In assembly
language and perform simple things like
addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division?
George Hlavac
Bertrange. Luxembourg
The Amiga has a variety of maths libraries
available, but basic maths functions can be
handled by the routines present in the mathffp
library which uses a floating point number format
LINKLID MACRO
■ovt.l
•6. -U7)
aove.l
\2,a6
j«
UU«)
■ove.l
<a7W,a6
ENDH
CXLLSYS
MACRO
LINKLIB
_LV0\1,\2
EMDM
•
XRSP
afp
XRIP
fp*
■DLL
EQO
_AbsExecBase
BOO
4
LVOOpe n L i b r a ry
EQU
-552
LVOCloseLibrary
EQU
-414
LVOSPAdd
EQU
-66
known as Motorola FFP (fast floating point). This
library is opened like any other run-time library and
using the library routines themselves is quite easy
(all the available functions are documented in the
Libraries volume of the RKM manuals). To add two
numbers together, for instance, you load the
registers dO and dl with pointers to the two FFP
arguments, make a SPAdd() function call, and the
result comes back in dO.
Unfortunately, there's a snag because you've
got to get your numbers into FFP form in the first
place. If you wish to actually display them, you
also have to convert the FFP forms back into
ASCII. There are ASCII to FFP. and FFP to ASCII
conversion functions, called afpO and fpa(), in the
addq
move
convert_l
DM
•■:-;.'.
j«
_»fP
add.l
•4,sp
add args
move . 1
d2,dl
CALLSYS
SPAdd,_H
backtoascli
pea
result
move. 1
dO, -(ap)
j«
_*pa
add.l
18, SB
amiga.lib linker library. The difficulty here is that
the functions have C language interfaces, so you
have to pass function parameters using the stack.
This means pushing the parameters, making the
appropriate amiga.lib function call, and then re-
adjusting the stack so that any pushed values are
effectively removed.
Here's a very simple example that uses the
mathffp. library to add a couple of floating point
numbers together. If you assemble this, link it
with amiga.lib. and then run it under the Devpac
debugger, you'll be able to see the final floating
point sum (provided in a normalised mantissa
plus exponent form) stored in the result string:
Paul
1 #4,ep remove pushed arg2
1 d0,d2 arg2 in d2
place argl on stack
convert (argl now in dO)
removed pushed argl
copy arg2 to dl
ise add dO and dl PPP nos
push dest address
push real PPP sum
convert to ASCII
remove pushed args
; At this point the normalised ASCII
; form of the FPP sum will have been
; placed in the result string as the
; number ♦.6713003B+1
■tart
visibility
oponllb
lea
lea
moveq
CALLSYS
move.l
b*j
math name, al pointer to library name
result, a2 just for a2 string
it
to, dO
any version will do!
move . 1
CALLSYS
clr.l
rtt
_MathBase,al library to close
CloseLibrary, AbsExecBase
OpenLibrary , AbsExecBase
dO, MathBase save returned pointer
exit did library open OK?
; mathffp library open OK
; if we get to here
MathBase
th_ni
argl
arg2
result
ds.l 1
dc.b 'mathffp. library*, MULL library name
dc.b '2. 502 '.null just example numbers
dc.b '4. 211', NULL
ds.b 16 space to store result
convert_2
pea
arg2
,afp
place arg2 on stack
convert to PPP
installed WB3 system, and further, the word
processor ( Wordworth) was unreadable on a TV
screen. However, this was no big deal as it merely
confirmed the need for the upgrade path I was
prepared to make anyway. What I needed was an
85Mb hard drive, 4Mb of RAM... and a dedicated
Commodore 1942 hi-res monitor. Only now of
course I've found that no such monitor exists or
Is likely to In the near to middle future!
My point is this - at present It seems to me
as if my original decision to buy an Amiga over a
Mac was misguided. What is the advantage of
cheap access to video or advanced graphics rf I
can't represent those images on screen other
than with a cheap monitor not really designed for
the job? I also don't like the Idea of word
processing for several hours at a time on anything
less than a hires monitor (such as the old Atari
monochrome I am using at the moment). Perhaps
I am being too hasty in these opinions - what do
you think?
Mr P. Scott
Warminster, Wilts
Yes. Mr Scott. I do think you are being too hasty.
First off. the 1942 monitor certainly does exist!
And there are a number of other monitors which
you could choose instead - such as the various
Microvitec CubScan models, or even an ordinary
RGB monitor such as the Commodore 1084 or
Philips 8833? The latter will probably appear to
flicker at first, but you'll soon get used to this. I'm
sitting here typing this reply using Transwrite on a
very old Commodore 1081 monitor and it works
fine for me! A little careful colour choosing can
make a great difference to the way that your screen
image looks.
I'd half agree with you about the A1200 only
being useful for games. That's why more serious
Amigas also exist, such as the A4000/30. and
that's why there's a big price difference between
the two. But I'd definitely agree that you should add
more memory and a hard drive.- as well as a
dedicated monitor, all of which will, of course, cost
money! I'd also add an external floppy drive to your
wants list - you'll be surprised how useful it will
turn out to be.
I think that with a little time and effort, and
some open-minded honesty, you'll start to
appreciate just how versatile your new Amiga is. Of
course it won't be able to do everything as it
stands - you already know that you'll have to
expand it - but give the machine a break. For a low-
cost domestic computer you'd be pushed to get
better value for graphics, animation and video use
wherever else you look. But it isn't a Mac
substitute, and personally I'd say it is a mistake to
compare the two. Compare the Mac with the Amiga
3000 or 4000 if you like, but in my opinion the
A1200 and modern Macs are rather different
beasts which are aimed and priced for completely
different markets. Gary
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
46 AMIGA ANSWERS
TUNING YOUR STARTUP
I would be grateful If you could tell
me what startup-sequence I should
have on my GVP hard drive. When I
start my computer I have noticed
GENERAL that It returns "Pure bit not set" and
some programs cannot recognise the DHO:
partition. I have Klckstart 1.3 and 1.2 on a ROM
sharer.
Philip Hewitt
Rochdale, Lanes
It seems a little pointless to have 1.2 and 1.3 on a
ROM sharer unless you want to run some very old
games. A better solution would be to throw away
1.2 and replace it with a 2.04 ROM. The system
will not autoboot the hard drive if 1.2 is active and
that may be why some software does not recognise
It. The message "Pure bit not set" is being
generated by one of the resident commands in your
startup-sequence and it is difficult to know which
one. This should not be a problem, it just means
one of the commands currently in the C directory is
not suitable for resident treatment (not pure), or its
pure bit has been cleared.
I noticed you are still using the old 1.3 startup-
sequence and this is hampering things a bit. Here
is a specially modified version that I recommend to
anyone running Workbench 1.3 from floppy and
hard disks. This is less than two-thirds the size of
the original and does everything the original version
did in about six seconds on my A3000!
CtSBTPXTCH >HIL:
C:XDDBUPPERS DPO : 22
CD C:
Echo "Phillip Hewitt's taiga Shopper Superboot
Disk"
BindDrivera
SYS : Syetam/PaatMemFirst
SetClock Load
PP >ITIL: -0
Resident C:Reaident PURE
Resident CLI L:Shell-Seg SYSTEM PORE ADD
Resident C:List PORE
Resident C:CD PURE
Makedir raa:T
Makedir ram:Env
Makedir raaiClipboards
Assign T: RAM:T
Assign ENV: RAM:Env
Assign CLIPS: RAM: Clipboards
Assign KiadtfoidO; DHQ;Kindwurda
Assign SuperPont: DHO:Kindwords
this one
Assign Dictionary: DhO:Kindwords ; and this too
are specificl
Mount Speak:
Mount Aux:
Mount Pipe:
this line...
; and
Mount NEWCON:
SYS: System/ SetMap GB
Path RAM: C: SYS : Ut il i ties SYS:Syst«m S:
SYSiPrefs add
LoadWB delay
Endcli >NIL:
I've taken the liberty of adding your own
assignments for Kindwords. Any other readers can
use this startup-sequence for a 1.3 Workbench
disk by removing them and adding their own. The
secret speed of this startup is an effect of grouping
things together. Keep like with like, and you'll get
the best performance. Mark
SOUNDS LIKE TROUBLE
I'm thinking of buying an A 1200. but
I'm not sure which sort to buy. I want
to play games, obviously, but I'm
also into demos and so on. I've heard
of these bulletin boards - they sound
quite interesting, and I might like to do a little
hacking.
Could you tell me what sort of Amiga would
be best for me. and any other equipment I might
need to get set up? Please try and list everything
I will need as it is a matter of urgency.
Michael John Guy
Bordon. Hants
Erm. Well there's only one model of A1200. called
the A1200 funnily enough. If you want decent
sound, then you'll need something to plug the
Amiga's sound outputs into - a Hi-Fi. or a stereo
monitor with speakers, or portable radio/cassette
player, anything like that. To access bulletin boards
you'll need a modem and communications
software, plus a phone line of course, but as
hacking is an illegal activity, very easily traced
these days and punishable with severe sentences.
I would not recommend it as something you should
even think about experimenting with. Jeff
CAUGHT (NOT) IN THE ACT
— | I do not think you have answered
Steve Edward's question re
IM^ufc PageSetter3 (issue 36. p39). I use
P "" PageSetter3 and I have ToolTypes
set to COLORMODE=BW. The
program still boots In colour and, like Steve
Edwards, I have to select the Black & White
option from the Preferences menu to operate in
that mode. This Is no great problem, but
something I do not understand.
Philip Goodwin
Welton, Northants
Blush. OK. I admit I didn't actually try it. 1 just
repeated the information from the PageSetter3
manual because I know this ToolType works with
both ProDraw and ProPage. and I assumed it was a
JARGON BUSTING
Startup-sequence - a program
Kickstart and many of the
(the cork and drawing pins
which is executed every time
library routines. These do not
type) which is traditionally
the Amiga is switched on and
have to be re-loaded each time
regarded as a meeting and
after every reset. It sets up the
the Amiga is switched on
trading place.
system so that it is usable
because ROM retains its
Kickstart - the central part of
from Workbench, and may be
contents without power. No
the Amiga's operating system;
customised by those who have
new information can be
it's now held in ROM. This
unusual hard or software
written to ROM, hence the
means it is available for
requirements.
name Read Only.
immediate use as soon the
ROM - Read Only Memory is
BBS - Bulletin Board System.
machine is switched on. The
used to store absolutely
The name comes from the
Amiga 1000 originally had its
essential programs, such as
American College bulletin board
Kickstart on floppy disk.
problem to do with actually setting the ToolTypes.
But. having just tried it. you are absolutely correct,
it does not work. Doesn't work from the command
line either. So it's a bug m PageSetter3 by the
looks of it. The funny thing is I swear that when I
reviewed PageSetter3 1 distinctly remember having
it load in black and white mode because that
opening information requester looked so weird in
just two colours. Of course that was on a
Workbench/Kickstart 2 machine, and I'm using
Workbench/Kickstart 3 now. Hmmm, if I ever
remember how I did it. you'll be the first to hear
about it. Jeff
SUPRAMODEM'S SPEED
I am interested in buying a modem,
that I would use mainly for
downloading PD from Bulletin
Boards. If I bought a SupraModem
2400 Plus, how long would it take to
download a compressed disk of around l/2Mb?
How much difference does the compression
facility make? What is Hayes compatibility?
Andrew Bainbridge
Darlington, County Durham
My advice is to go for the fastest modem you can
afford if you are mainly going to be transferring files
of such a large size. Modems are getting faster all
the time and prices are dropping; don't be fooled
into thinking a relatively slow modem is a bargain
just because it is £50 cheaper than the faster
model. As an example, a SupraModem 2400 Plus
can achieve a maximum transfer rate for binary
files of around 270 bits per second. This equates
to an approximate download time of 30 minutes for
a 500K compressed file. However, using a modem
that features V32bis and V42bis such as the
Hayes Optima 144, the same 500K archive would
take just over 5 minutes, assuming an average
transfer rate of 1600bps.
Depending on where you are calling, and at
what time, you can see how expensive that extra
25 minutes per download will soon become!
Compressing a file makes it smaller. Simple as
that. So the difference is that it takes less time to
download an archive that is 500K than it does for
one that is 750K. Uncompressed ASCII (text) files
will transfer at a much faster rate than if they were
compressed. However, the advances in data
compression techniques, such as V42bis which are
built in to many modems, mean that there is little
difference in downloading a larger file at a faster
rate then a smaller one slower.
Hayes compatibility refers to the Hayes
Command Set. This is the set of commands that
modems use to communicate with your computer.
Hayes commands begin with the prefix AT. and an
example would be ATDT followed by a telephone
number; this tells the modem to tone dial the
specified number. I covered the Hayes command
set in some detail in these very pages a few
months ago in fact! Dave
PENNY A SCAN
I want to buy a scanner. My main use
would not be for full-page scans - I
want rt to scan coins, both for
insurance purposes and to aid in the
detection of new varieties. Obviously.
a hand scanner is not an option here. I did have a
Sharp JX 100. which scans an area of about 4ln
by 6in, but the maximum resolution of 200 dpi is
not enough.
Are there any scanners designed for hobbyists
and which can scan small items?
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
AMIGA ANSWERS 47
Graham Keellings
Munich, Germany
Using a colour hand scanner in greyscale mode you
will be able to scan at 400 dpi, which should
provide o screen sized graphic of most coins. Note
that I am talking about a colour scanner In
greyscale mode, not a monochrome or "256
greyscale" scanner - these devices will reduce 400
dpi mono scans to what is the equivalent of a 100
dpi greyscale. and you have said that even 200 dpi
is too low a resolution for what you want to do.
If you cover the coin with a thin sheet of glass
(a picture frame glass for example), it should be
perfectly possible to run the scanner over that and
still pick up the relief of the coin underneath, and
with some rudimentary image processing you
should be able to enhance the edges in the graphic
to make the relief stand out further.
Scanning coins in colour is never going to be
very successful because the metal will reflect
almost all of the light, which will result in the
graphic being covered in (usually) an overall green
sheen plus small red and blue aberrations where
scratches and reliefs on the coin have deflected
the angle of the reflected light.
Alternatively, photograph the coins and then
scan the photographs, which is how these things
are normally done. Jeff
BJ OR DJ?
I am using PageSett cr3 wrth my
A1200 and Star LC-20 printer. I want
to upgrade my printer and am
thinking of buying either the Canon
BJ-lOsx or the Hewlett-Packard
DeskJet 310, which has a colour option. Which of
these would you recommend, or any other for
around £200. Colour would be nice, and I'd use it
just for structured clip art - I don't expect
photorealistic quality.
M R Sutton
Swansea
Sounds like you've already made your mind up to
me. If you want colour then the DeskJet 310 is
certainly the best value option around at the
moment, although you will have to invest in Studio
Printer Software (£50) to get a proper driver and
support for the features of that printer that
Workbench does not support. You should keep in
mind that colour printing is a more expensive
pastime than mono printing - ink costs are more,
media costs are more (the wet ink does not print
well on to ordinary bond paper), and colour pages
take three times longer (or more) to print than
mono ones.
The Canon BJ-10 has proved to be a very
popular mono printer indeed, and it has stood the
test of time. Also in its favour is the fact that you
can get a disk of Amiga drivers and support
programs free from Canon. Rather then dive
straight for the BJ-lOsx. investigate the BJ-200.
which features much faster and much better
printing technology than the BJ-10sx, and is selling
for under £300. Jeff
ED OR EDIT
I've been working on a project to
automatically unarc LHArc files using
a script. However, I feel that I need
to use the EDIT command to alter
ftlNIKAl , the script using commands from a
pre-written file. Being unable to find any detailed
Instructions on using EDIT in this way, I was
hoping the command could be covered In
Cracking the Shell.
I'hiii Beard
Basingstoke, Hants.
Detailed instructions on the use of EDIT appear in
Mastering AmigaDOS 2 Volume 1 (many examples)
and Mastering AmigaDOS 3 - Reference (both
published by Bruce Smith Books), but the only way
to get the best from this command is to use it.
However, if the editor agrees you should see an
EDIT tutorial in the next few issues. In the
meantime you might like to consider the strategy
you have employed in the existing script. Although
you have not given details. I doubt there is any
need to use EDIT at all. There is always more than
one way to crack a nut; and the most obvious one
is not always the best. Why not send me a copy of
the program and a list of what you are trying to
achieve, and I'll see if I can come up with a
solution. Mark
PROPAGE WON'T WORK
I have installed ProPage 4 on to my
hard drive, but when I try to type
text (following the tutorial) the
machine throws up a requester
asking for a CGFonts disk. If I try to
import text or graphics I get a requester saying
that the filter could not be found, even after
selecting the filter from the Preferences menu, as
shown in the manual.
I intend to fit a 4Mb expansion board. Will
this cure the problem, or is there a bug?
R McLaren
Pennyland, Bucks
No. it's nothing to do with memory shortage, these
are the classic signs of a program not being
installed properly. You haven't given me many
clues, so I am going to guess that you installed
ProPage to one part of your hard drive, and then at
a later date moved the ProPage drawer elsewhere.
I recommend that you re-install ProPage from
scratch. First delete the entire ProPage drawer, and
in the S: directory delete the following ProPage
preferences files:
• fontsize.pp
• genielist.pp
• PPage.DFLT
• PPage.INI
• PPageFilters.dflt
• prevfiles.pp
Check your user-startup file and remove any
assigns that the ProPage installation has made.
(There should be one for Spell: and possibly one
for CGFonts:. although your problems suggests
these assigns have not been made). Then re-install
ProPage 4 to the exact place you require it to be on
your hard drive. Once installed, do not drag the
ProPage drawer elsewhere. Jeff
DPAINT AGA REVISITED
In issue 33 (p47), Jason Hardy asked
how to access the AGA screen
modes from an auto-booting DPalnt-
AGA disk. I had exactly the same
problem. Your reply was a little
misleading. What you actually have to do is copy
SetPatch from the C directory of the Workbench
disk to the C directory of the DPaint disk, then
add the following line as the first line in your
DPaint-AGA disk's S:startup-sequence file:
C: SetPatch QUIET
This way you'll be able to access the AGA screen
modes.
Nathan White
Walsall. W Mlds
Thanks for that, Nathan. But at the end of the day
would it not be much simpler to boot from a full
and proper Workbench and run DPaint from its own
disk by double clicking its icon? Getting rid of this
having to make auto-booting disks hassle has got
to be worth the price of a second floppy drive,
hasn't it? Jeff
CRUNCH CRAZY
I use the Wordworth 2 and F7na/
Writer word processors on my 6Mb
i p N H A1200 wfth 250Mb hard drive. Can I
install crunchers on the word
I SOFTWARE processors so that if I come across a
packed file I can unpack and print ft with the
word processor? I have bought libraries of
crunchers from a PD library - Powerpacker, LHA,
Crunchmanla and so on. There are different
versions of Powerpacker. Do you need a certain
version If a file has been packed with that
version, or will the most up to date version
unpack it?
A Jones
Belfast. Norn Iron
I think what you are asking is can you make your
word processors automatically unpack a packed
file? And the answer is yes, but only certain types
of packed files. There is a shareware program
called Powerpacker Patcher which, after being run,
will intercept any system call to load files and will
automatically unpack the file before passing it to
the program which requested the load. From its
name you can guess which type of packed file it
works with.
Some of the earlier versions of Powerpacker
will not unpack files which have been packed with
later versions, but the most up to date version will
unpack any file that has been packed with any
version of Powerpacker.
You should understand that some programs do
not behave properly after being packed. If a packed
program does strange things or crashes, then
reinstall the original unpacked version - unpacking
the packed version is not a solution because the
damage will have been done already. Jeff
NON-PRINTING FILES
In Amiga Shopper Issue 33, you gave
the impression that I could print the
contents of all the files on a disk
using:
1>DIR >PRT: DPO: ALL
The problem Is I can't! All I get is the names
of the files on the disk plus a change of font on
the printer. If I use:
1>C0PY >PRT: DPI: ALL
the printer prints "COPY: required argument
missing". After some playing around I came up
with:
1>C0PY ALL TO PRT: DPI:
The COPY command appeared to work, but I
got nothing on the printer. Can you help, or did I
Just get the wrong impression.
E. Tilling
Grimsby. South Humberside
I can understand your confusion, the offending line
reads as follows: "For example you can use re-
direction to get a hard copy of all the files on a disk
like this." I can understand how this confused you.
but the command is working exactly as described.
The DIR command just lists filenames: you
wouldn't normally use it to type a file's contents
which is what you want to do. As to the change of
font on your printer. I can only assume this has
something to do with the way your PRINTER
preferences are set (probably, for Letter or
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
48 AMIGA ANSWERS
JARGON BUSTING
Compugraphic fonts - rather
result always looks smooth, as
and enables data to be
than a simple bit-mapped
the final image is always
exchanged between different
image of each character, which
printed at your printers highest
computers.
take on a more jagged
resolution.
Scanner - a device which can
appearance with magnification.
Typeface - all sizes of a
be used to convert an image on
a Compugraphic font
particular type family and style.
paper into a digital form
represents the shape of each
eg Times Italic, Helvetica Italic,
suitable for the computer. The
character within the font a3 a
Courier Bold.
digital image can then be used
mathematical equation of the
ASCII - American Standard
in a paint package such as
outline. Consequently, as the
Code for Information
Deluxe Paint. They usually
magnitude of the character is
Interchange. It is the data
come in two forms: as hand
varied in printing, no
storage method commonly
scanners; or as flatbed which
information is lost and the
used when we type text files
can handle larger images.
something similar). The PRT: device performs
certain translations - as defined by PRINTER
Preferences - before the text is sent to the printer.
Your idea for using COPY was along the correct
lines, although the syntax is a little backward. A
good idea would be to ensure all the files you want
to print are in a plain ACSII format (you'll have to
do this from your word processor) and save them
with a filename extension like .ASC. Once this is
done you can print the entire contents of a single
directory (searching the whole disk hierarchy is
more complex) like this:
1>C0PY DPllJf.UC TO PRT:
Manx
BACKUP TIME?
1) When I placed some of the
Commodities utilities in the
WBStartup drawer and reboot the
machine, a requester appears saying
there are five programs still running,
so I just switch off. Does it affect the computer In
any way, and Is there any way around this?
2) I don't have a battery-backed RTC. but
save time and date to software. When I reboot I
always get an earlier date unless I copy a disk.
then the date Is updated. What's going on?
3) Is there any hardware to connect to the
Amiga that will allow sound/voice operated
control?
J.H. Wllkins
East Cowes. Isle of Wight
1) Yes. There's a little known Tooltype only used by
Workbench which specifically combats this
problem. Just use Get Info for the program in
question and enter a new Tooltype, DONOTWAIT, in
capital letters. Save the icon information (repeating
for all the programs in the WBStartup drawer) and
hey presto! Switching off when something goes
wrong does not hurt the machine, but it's a bit
violent; a soft reset (CTRL-A-A) is usually enough.
2) I'm not sure exactly what you're getting at
here, but I suspect the effect you are noticing is
the automatic date stamping on a disk. Every time
you write something to a disk, the current date and
time are stored with the file and in a special place
in the root directory (disk last modified). This date
is always read from the boot disk and is used to
set the internal time in the absence of an RTC.
3) Not that I'm aware of. The idea has been
tried, with varying degrees of success, on a number
of platforms over the years. The technology exists
to do it; the problem is it still costs a fortune. One
technique works as follows: During programming.
each word has to be sampled, analysed and stored
in memory. In operation a command is sampled,
analysed and compared with the stored vocabulary.
This takes a fair amount of processing power and a
lot of non-volatile memory; the exact values are
difficult to quantify, but as quality/reliability
increases, so does cost. Mark
WHAT'S THIS RAD THING?
I have an A500 Plus, 2Mb of RAM
and an external floppy drive, which I
have owned for two and a half years.
Can you tell me to what practical use
I can put the RAD: device?
Chris Mickley
Norden, Lanes
The RAD: device is a recoverable RAM disk. This
means that anything stored in RAD: will survive a
soft or warm re-boot - or pressing Ctrl-Amiga-Amiga
in other words. As RAD: is actually memory, files
are stored and retrieved much more quickly than
with floppy drives, so one use is to simply speed
up file handling, and because RAD: survives a soft
re-boot you can be fairly sure (but not 100 per cent
sure) that if the machine crashes, any data in RAD:
will still be there after re-booting.
Another use is to set-up RAD: so that the
Amiga boots from it rather than from your system
floppy disk in order to speed up booting times.
The down side of RAD: is that the amount of
memory designated for it will be lost to the system
for as long as RAD: is active, so it's not really an
option for people with only a little memory.
There are three PD/shareware recoverable
RAM disk devices - VDO:, RRD: and Stat-RAM -
which are dynamic recoverable RAM disks. This
means that although you specify a maximum
amount of memory for the device to use, only as
much as is being used is actually used, the rest
being available to the system if required. Any PD
library should be able to supply you with these;
Stat-RAM V3 is the most modern and fully featured
of the trio, and it is also by far the easiest to
install. Jeff
FOUNTAIN
I am a fonts fanatic, using my 2Mb
A600, which I have owned for two
years, for video titling with DPalnt
and Scala 500. Try as I might, I
cannot get Fountain to run. Even
with all known assigns in the user-startup file, It
will not search DF1: for fonts.
Using a cut-down Workbench In which I
included Fountain and Fonts, It refuses to load,
saying that the file M bullet/If. fnt" is wrongly
installed, even though It Is present on the same
disk In the ■bullet drawer inside the Fonts
drawer.
Do I need Fountain! If not, how can I use PD
Compugraphic fonts In my DPalnt program for
video titling? Or any scalable fonts for that
matter. Help!
J Murgatroyd
Sunderland
Yes, you do need Fountain, and this is how it
works. After running Fountain (from any old disk, it
doesn't have to be the disk you boot from) you
must direct it to the source of the outline fonts by
using the gadget at top left labelled Outline Font
Source. Click the little square button to get a file
requester, ensure that the disk containing your CG
fonts is in DF1:. and then select drive DF1: and the
CG font of your choice, which will normally have a
.lib or .type file extension.
After clicking OK. Fountain will add that font to
its list of source typefaces. You then need to click
on the name of one or more fonts in that list, a
little + sign will appear to the left of the name,
indicating that the font is selected, and then click
the Install Marked Typefaces button. The selected
font(s) will then be copied from the disk in DF1: to
the SYS:Fonts/_bullet_outlines drawer. This is
where CG fonts must be installed for Workbench,
and any program that uses Workbench CG fonts
(like DPaint and Scala), to be able to use them.
If there is not enough room on your system
disk, then you must make room. If you cannot
make room, and because CG font files are so large
I concede that it is very difficult to make room, then
your only recourse is to buy a hard drive. Jeff
FISHY PM
I'm writing about G Fish's letter in
Amiga Shopper issue 36, Amiga
Answers. Mr Fish was complaining of
a problem on the Amiga 1200 with
DeluxePalnt 3 installed to hard
drive, printing to a Citizen Swift 9 Colour. You
thought the Citizen Print Manager installed to
hard drive might be the problem, and furthermore
you suggested that Citizen Print Manager appears
not to get on too well with Kickstart and
Workbench 3.
This Is not the first time I have read of this
printing problem between DeluxePalnt (versions 3
and 4) and Citizen's Print Manager. I can't test
DeluxePalnt3 as that went when I sold my A500.
but I bought DeluxePalnt 4 and have
experienced a similar problem to the one Mr Fish
was having, so I thought I had better write In with
the solution.
Citizen's Print Manager works perfectly with
Workbench 3. The problem lies in the Installation
program; It installs to the wrong place, so once it
Is installed on your hard drive, open the Devs
drawer, then the Printers drawer, and then drag
the CftlzenPM drawer into the Printers drawer.
Run Citizen Print Manager as normal, and
DeluxePalnt 4 prints beautifully. Perhaps
DeluxePalnt 3 will too. By the way. Wordworth 3
works very nicely with this set up as well.
C Dalton
Northolt, Middlesex
Hmmm. There is no earthly reason why Citizen Print
Manager should go into the the Devs/Pnnters
drawer. That's where standard Amiga printer drivers
go. The Citizen Print Manager program is not a
standard Amiga printer driver, it is just a program
like any other program, and the drivers that are
supplied with Citizen Print Manager are not
standard Amiga drivers, they are a special type of
driver that work only with Citizen Print Manager. But
if you say your solution works. I suppose that is all
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
AMIGA ANSWERS 49
that matters, and thank you for sharing your
solution. Jeff
CO TO TYPE I
PagoSetter 3 comes with only one
CG font so I bought two disks of
PostScript Type 1 fonts from a PD
library. I am supposed to be able to
convert these fonts to CG format
with the FontManager program that comes with
F'agcScttcr $. I have tried and failed to convert
them. How do I do it?
John Gamon
Etwall, Derbys
After running FontManager. click on the disk icon to
select the source directory (where your Type 1
fonts are stored), and then in the list that appears
in the left hand window select the PFB file of the
font you want to convert. The associated AFM file
for the font must also be there, but it is the PFB
file you select. In the right hand window there
should De listed the current contents of your
CGFonts: directory, the destination directory to put
it another way, so make sure your CGFonts disk is
in one of your drives. After selecting the PFB file,
click on the icon at top left that looks like a page of
text pointing at another page of text, and the
conversion process will begin.
My copy of PageSetter 3 came with a lose,
single sheet of instructions for FontManager,
entitled Adobe Type 1 Font Support. Jeff
3 PERHAPS?
I want to start doing DTP work on my
A1200. to which I have added a
second floppy drive and a 2Mb
PCMCIA card. I have heard that
PageSetter 3 is quite good for
around £50. I would like to take pictures and
scan them into my computer so I can print them
along with text. Is PageSetter 3 worth buying,
and what scanner and software would I need to
do this kind of operation?
lain Rigby
Brighton
PageSetter 3 is the entry level DTP program for the
Amiga. This means that it is the DTP program that
costs the least, contains the the fewest features,
and comes with the smallest manual and the least
number of free fonts. But it does not mean that it
requires less memory than a proper DTP program.
DTP is DTP, and what DTP does best is gobble up
memory. Your 4Mb will be enough to be going on
with, but the 16-bit PCMCIA memory is going to
slow down the speed at which PageSetter 3 runs,
so you should consider buying a 32-bit trap-door
RAM expansion.
PageSetter 3 is excellent value at £50 and the
perfect way to dip your toes into the Amiga desktop
publishing pond, but what you must understand is
that when one day you suddenly start running out
of memory; when you suddenly start wanting to do
things that PageSetter 3 cannot do; when .you get
fed up with how long it takes to load files, to print
pages, and to move around a document - that's
the day you need a bigger and faster Amiga, and a
more professional DTP program. Some people find
that PageSetter 3 is all they will ever need, others
lose faith in it after only a few weeks.
As for scanners, buy the cheapest one you can
find and you will get the cheapest looking results. If
it is photographs you intend scanning, then one of
the colour hand scanners is the least you require
because mono hand scanners do not make a
particularly good job of scanning anything but mono
text and line art (see the Scanned and Delivered
article in issue 37 - page 62 for back issues). The
various colour hand scanners each have their pros
and cons - check out issue 32 for a full roundup
and buying advice. Note the memory requirements
mentioned in that article. The Power Colour
scanner has been upgraded since then, so watch
these pages for an update review soon. Jeff
FILL IN AND GET US TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS
If you send in a question for the Amiga Answers experts, please fill
in and include the form below (or a photocopy if you don't want to
cut up your maga7ine). And please, also make sure that you include
all the relevant details - version numbers of software and so on -
so that we have the best chance of helping you. If you have several
questions in different fields that should be addressed to more than one
of our experts, please send in your queries on separate forms.
Send your form and question to: Amiga Answers, Amiga Shopper, 30
Monmouth Street. Bath. Avon BA1 2BW.
Name:
Hard disk:
Mb as DH_: Manufacturer
Extra RAM fitted - type, size in Mb and manufacturer
Details of any other hardware which could help us to answer your question;
Address;
Now, use this space to describe your problem, including as much relevant
information as possible. Please continue on a separate sheet if necessary.
Your machine:
A500 □ A500 Plus Q A600 [J A1000 Q A1200 [J
A1500 □ A2000 □ A3000 Q A4000 Q
Approximate age of machine:
Klckstart version (displayed at the "insert Workbench" prompt)
1.2 □ 1.3 Q 2.x □ 3.x □
Workbench revision (written on the Workbench disk)
1.2 □ 1.3 Q 1.3.2 □ 2.04/2.05 Q 2.1 Q 3.0 Q
PCB revision (if known). Do not take your machine apart just to look
for this!
Total memory fitted (see AVAIL in Shell for Workbench 1.3)
Chip memory available (see AVAIL in Shell)
Agnus chip (if known)
Extra drive #1 ( 3. 5in/5.25in) as DF_; Manufacturer
Extra drive #2 (3.5in/5.25in) as DF_: Manufacturer
AS 39
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
50 INTERVIEW
igital Creations started out doing games
conversions for Electronic Arts, one of the
very first companies Involved with the
Amlua I met up with John Botteri. the President
of Digital Creations, to talk about the success of
the company since Its creation In 1985.
What Is Digital Creations ' corporate history?
Digital Creations was originally created in early
1985 by John Botteri, Randy Jongens and David
Porter, along with a couple of other partners who
have since moved on. We were all friends and had
all met in college. Before starting Digital Creations
we had worked together in another company that
developed software on a contract basis for many of
the entertainment companies in the early 80s.
Why did you choose the Amiga platform to
develop for?.
When we first started Digital Creations, we were
doing contract work for Electronic Arts doing game
conversions. Electronic Arts, as you will recall, were
one of the first companies involved with the Amiga.
We were introduced to the Amiga there. We also
did two of the very first games ever for the Amiga:
One on One and Seven Cities of Gold. These were
very fast conversions and were available the day
the Amiga first started selling In the U.S. Once we
had successfully completed several contract
programming jobs, our goals and ambitions began
to change. We wanted more for the company and
thought that the nest way to get there was to
produce our own products and distribute them
ourselves.
This was at about the same time the Amiga
was being launched in the U.S. - the end of 1985.
We took a look around the entire software market
and decided to take a chance on the Amiga
because we honestly felt that far and away it was
the best computer on the market. Since the Amiga
market was a new one, and so were we, we felt
that we could grow as the Amiga market grew. We
also felt that with the right kinds of products, we
could become a "big fish in a little pond rather than
a little fish in a big pond" which would have been
the case in the IBM or Apple markets.
What was Digital Creations ' first marketed
product?
The first product that we produced ourselves was a
"desktop accessory" package called GIZMOZ. This
was in early 1986. It performed very well in the
U.S. market at a time when everyone was very
hungry for good software to use on a brand new
machine. GIZMOZ helped to fill that niche. Our next
product was called Digital Link. This was a
communications product.
R Shamms Mortier
brings you another
interview with one of
the top Amiga
industrialists - John
Botteri, President of
Digital Creations Inc.
"Greg Gorby of ADSPEC saw DCTV and realised
the potential It had. He put the support In his
products and we now work closely at times. "
Digital Creations was originally created by John
Botteri. Randy Jongens and David Porter. They had
all previously worked as software developers.
Our next product was a paint package that
worked m every possible mode on the Amiga 1000
including HAM. This was actually the first paint
package that could do this. We began showing it in
preliminary forms at Amiga shows around the U.S.
in the middle of 1986. During this time DPaint from
Electronic Arts was already the de facto standard,
but it didn't work in HAM and ours did. Well the
boys at Electronic Arts got wind of what we had and
came looking. After they saw it. they made us an
offer we couldn't refuse and bought the rights to
what quickly became Deluxe Photo Lab. They then
promptly buried it in their line card and forgot about
it. Unfortunately, it was rushed to market and then
not promoted the way we would have liked.
What about your work with an Amiga genlock?
Interesting you would ask that next! It was about
the time we were selling Deluxe Photo Lab to EA
that we began the SuperGen project. Actually
there's a really neat story behind the SuperGen. In
1985/86, we were located in an industrial office
park with a company called Progressive Image
Technology. At that time, they were working on
various computer and video products of their own
design. We had some of the first Amigas in the
world because of our work with Electronic Arts and
Amiga, so we showed an Amiga 1000 prototype to
Progressive Image. Our original Idea was to have
them create a memory card for the machine. But
they had other ideas! Within a couple of months,
they created the first prototype SuperGen! We
struck a deal to be the exclusive distributor for
Progressive Image products and started working
together to bring the SuperGen to market. As a
matter of fact, the reason we sold Photo Lab to EA
was to get enough capital to develop the
SuperGen. Thank you Electronic Arts!
How did work on the SuperGen proceed?.
It took us the rest of 1986 to get the product off
the ground - mainly because Commodore wouldn't
cooperate with us on the specifications for
genlocking the Amiga. The guys at Progressive
Image had to completely reverse engineer how the
Amiga genlock circuitry works. It turns out that this
was to our advantage because our genlock is truly
broadcast quality and Commodore's own genlock
was not! Since then, some 15 other genlock
products have come and gone in the U.S. market.
Only two have had professional quality: ours and
one from a company called Magni. We've outlasted
them all. In fact, I would hazard a guess and say
that there are more SuperGens in the world than all
the others combined!
Since then, we introduced the SuperGen
2000s - the first S-Video compatible Genlock for
the Amiga 2000. and the SuperGen SX - our
current state of the art external S-Video genlock for
all of the current Amigas. We also have a PAL
version of the SuperGen SX.
How many SuperGens have been placed out
there?
Gee. that's a big question. We've sold tens of
thousands of them. First of all, just about every
television station with an NTSC signal has at least
one. if only to just put up simple titles. In South
America, they are used extensively as the main
source of titles and graphics. NASA uses them to
put titles and other info over their video feeds.
Many of the Fortune 500 media departments use
Amigas and SuperGens to create titles and
graphics for their corporate video needs. SuperGen
is used m just about every cable installation in the
U.S. to provide the "Preview Guide' channel. This
is an information channel that tells you what is on
all the cable channels at the current time. I could
go on and on. But let me tell you about one of our
neatest applications; we created a version of the
SuperGen that is used in Hollywood to synchronise
Amiga video with movie cameras. It's been used in
many feature films. I guess the biggest one so far
was Total Recall. All of the video monitors used in
that film were created with Amigas and SuperGens.
Whose Idea was DCTV?
The original idea behind DCTV was mine. I wanted
to create a product that would give the average
Amiga user the ability to create these really cool
3D animations that the Amiga could do, but in
something much more realistic than HAM. DCTV
was simply a video compression system that would
use the Amiga's ability to move a lot of data
around very fast, but in a more colourful and
detailed way. DCTV creates really cool video that
looks tike television, but with very low memory
overhead so that animations are possible. DCTV
was my idea, but the hardware geniuses at
Progressive Image are the ones that took that idea
and made it a reality. Paul Greaves and Michael
Moore, the President of Progressive Image
Technology, are the brains behind the actual
hardware implementation.
How successful has DCTV been?
DCTV has been very successful in the U.S. market.
It quite easily matched our expectations. In fact,
we reached our one year sales goal in the first two
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
INTERVIEW 5 1
months and then doubled that again in the next
three months.
How about European sales?
Our European sales are another story. DCTV
otortod out very well in Europe. But in general, we
nave Deen somewhat disappointed in the European
market, it seems very hard for us to find
distributors who can follow through with any kind of
sales plan. It's not that the European customers
don't like our products; it just seems that getting
our product to them is very difficult. Brilliance is
doing much better though!
What, In your opinion, has been the overall impact
of DCTV on video?
We believe we've made a significant impact. Our
sales numbers would tend to bear us out. Also, all
of the various 3D packages make It a specific point
in their manuals and their products to support
DCTV. This is because most of their users are
proDaDly using DCTV as well. Today DCTV is still
the only realistic way of creating moving animations
"T 1
[IRQ
s
"We're Just Introducing Brilliance 2.0 (Issue 38 of
AS). Now we are going to sit back and see how it
and the Amiga does In the next few months. "
with the Amiga that look like television.
How about a word concerning DCTV Paint,
especially Its upgrade path?
Well, there has always been a plan in place to take
Brilliance and DCTV Paint and combine them to
make the next DCTV Paint However, given the
current Amiga market, we are in a wait and see
nocture on that product.
Is higher resolution DCTV possible?
There are several things we can do with the DCTV
compression technique to enhance its signal. I
wouldn't call them higher resolution; it would be
more accurate to call it better compression and it
can be done all in software. All of these
enhancements will be made in the next version of
DCTV Paint.
What about your relationship with ADSPEC
Programming (Aladdln-AD) and Qreg
Qorby?
Actually, Greg Gorby. President of ADSPEC
Programming, saw DCTV before we really knew him.
He really saw the potential of DCTV and put the
support in his products simply because he is a very
intelligent fellow, not because of any specific
relationship that we had with him. Since then, the
relationship between Digital Creations and ADSPEC
has been great. We tell him things, he tells us
things... but there is no specific relationship
between the two companies. In terms of
cooperative ventures, he has been helping us a
great deal with some 3D stuff for our next Video
Product: the VMachine.
Whose Idea was It to challenge Electronic Arts'
DPalnt with Brilliance?
Well, it was all of ours. We have a history of writing
paint programs. We had created Deluxe Photo Lab,
we had working for us the team that created DPalnt
for the Atari ST; we had created DCTV Paint. I
guess you could say that there was no way we
weren't eventually going to create the greatest
paint program ever for the Amiga.
How well has Brilliance penetrated the Amiga
market?
Brilliance has done well, however, we are very
concerned for the future of the Amiga market.
Brilliance has not done as well as it would have
had it been launched say two years ago. The
further erosion of market is not something we are
looking forward to. We really would like to see
Commodore come back with cost reduced
machines and a healthy marketing campaign.
[Obviously, recent developments suggest that
Commodore and the Amiga are in a possible
divorce settlement! - Shamms]
Do you have any reflections on software piracy?
Piracy is an all too real danger. Piracy is a
contributing factor to the current Amiga market
problems. With piracy developers don't develop.
Without development of new product, the machine
begins to die. Brilliance is the first product that we
have ever put a security key on. We thought about
that decision for a long, long time. We felt that
without it. Brilliance, an easy to use paint package,
would be too greatly copied, and that we would
never get back what we put into developing it.
Where is Digital Creations going from here?
We're just introducing Brilliance 2.0. For now. we're
just going to sit back and see how it does and how
the Amiga does over the next few months. Of
course, we're already working on ideas for 3.0. We
will probably also port it over to the IBM Windows
world at some point.
How about new applications?
We're definitely into video and computer
applications and that is still the general area that
we are heading towards. We just introduced the
VMachine and are currently finishing up
development on this product. The VMachine is an
under $10,000 video editing and effects system
that works on the IBM 486 compatible machines. It
can create spectacular video effects of true
broadcast quality with fully filtered images. It works
in full digital component and is CCIR-601 compliant
in every way. It will also be available in PAL. We are
very excited about this truly awesome product. We
MB . £ ^\"\DO tt>A
■ ••
"Brilliance is doing a lot better than DCTV In the
European market - but on the whole It seems
difficult to get the products to Europe."
"There has always been a plan in place to take
Brilliance and DCTV paint and combine them to
make the next DCTV Paint - we'll see. ■
have in fact been working on the VMachine product
with Progressive Image since the early days in
1986 - more than eight years! It has taken this
long for the technology to become inexpensive
enough for us to create and market the VMachine
at the price we wanted.
Does Digital Creations' future still include the
Amiga?
That's a good question... The bigger question is:
does the Amiga have a future? If it does, then we'll
definitely be a part of that future.
Is there a possibility that some of the things
you've been developing for other platforms could
find their way back to the Amiga?
There are certainly many possibilities in that area.
There is no reason that we couldn't develop the
VMachine for the Amiga. There are other products
that we are working on that will probably wind up
on the Amiga as well,
If you were the head of a company that marketed
the Amiga, what would you do?
Well, if I was the instant head of that company, the
first thing I would do is pass out a 50 question
multiple choice test to everyone in a management
position. The questions would all relate to the
Amiga and third party products that work with the
Amiga. Any manager that doesn't get at least 45
right I would fire for not knowing his product, thus
not knowing his job. The sad part, though, is that I
believe that most of the managers recently at
Commodore would have failed this simple test!
Long term. I would try to greatly cost reduce the
machines and get a real advertising campaign
started. I would also try to develop strategic
partnerships with important developers rather than
continue the adversarial role that Commodore
management played.
What is Digital Creations' overall philosophy?
Development of state-of-the-art computer graphics
products is our philosophy. It's what we do!
Seriously though, computers and video have been
on a collision course. Now that they have met. the
explosion is Just beginning. A lot of things are going
to happen in the next few years, and we want
Digital Creations to be a part of it.
Any closing remarks?
We'd like to thank everyone who's ever bought a
Digital Creations product. We have been creating
Amiga-only products for more than eight years, and
our thousands of loyal customers have made
Digital Creations an enormous success. As to the
future, piracy will definitely kill any machine. As
long as the Amiga market exists, we will continue
to create new and awesome products for it. f-V*
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
'ujf don't rest on tbem/
*
FinalCpPll
f
When yiwr <'jjt>nnv rgfjetitedly wins the highest accolades in reviews
worldwide, what do you do?
Work even harder to stay ahead of course! Netv Final
Writer Release 2 is the latest result of our intensive
development - it's even easier to use, and even mon
ixMwfid It's the best there ts. and it's designed for those
who expect the most from their Amtgas. Hut, if you don't
have a bard drive system, don t despair, we can still
help- At SoftWood we offer you a choice oftuv Word
Processor/Page Publishing packages But why TWO ?
Well, tbts means that whatever specification Amiga you have.
SoftWood haw the perfect solution for your requirements - and always the
most powerful possible for your system. Final Copy u is at the peak of what can
be achieved when ru n n trig u 1th tu i n floppies, it 's not possible to offer more u ith-
out losing performance. Final Writer is the first and only hard drive compulsory Amiga word processor
the only package that doesn t make compromises to be floppy compatible!
FinalWriter
Tlie SuJIWood Adi anta
FinalWriter
iwfi innovation
i
*
Final Copy u (upgradable to Final Writer as your needs
grow) (Md Final Writer are the only word processors that
give you Perfect Print™ - a unuftie
priming advantage guvig fitly
smooth Industry Standard Adobe™
Type J or Nimbus Q scalable
outline fonts direct to amy pnnttr
(even dot matrix and ink jet >. m
both landscape atui portrait Others
use a restrictive and unnecessary
jumble of different fonts with complex
driver programs for outputtmg to
various printers. The launch oj Final
Copy u introduced FastDraw™ - a
specud set of structured drawing toots
for constntcting lines, borders, arrows,
circles etc. directly on the page.
u Wbul the Papers Saw
Amiga Format.. 'Final Wruer is a joy to usi Amiga Shopper... •Hruit
Wnter is the closest thing to MS Word to uppear on the Amtgn Amiga
Computing... Final Cop\' a was wted by the readers as "Best DTP
Paikagt' Amiga Format., final Truer is au*>rdt>r >j,%»*tfv
Amu/a community as a wboL tan behrv'fl of Amiga Format... Final
CvfiyuH'TbeBat'toxdPubti < AmigaPio.. in ompmum o*.
Wontuortb j'. Final Vnter 2 a sftr* MMami ■ ■•■■
site more usable' Amiga User International
prvvram that prvduia excellent result, Amiga Computing ft*r^^
Tnieris emUy the mos configurable Amtga XFPfit* OJ Amiga... hiat
truer tsibe "most powerful WP avr to grace the Amtfta Umiga format.. s
dgojtir fimi V rutr aver Woruuurtb
TM
Now, as others are just starting to add similar features,
faying they're 'revolutionary'. Final Writer extends the
in notation further uith FastDraw P/ws™ - adding
even faster and more functional options, including a
new mate command. Final Writer Release 2 is again
leading the way uith the introduction ofToucbToois
and Pouert'ser Bar 1 " technologies. These feantres give
the user a definable area at the top of each document
window where up to eight "one-touch" button strips can
he configured. Each strip contains easily customisabk*
sets of functions giving instant access to all the major
commands/features - uith a simple click of the mouse'
There is even a set of buttons allouing "one-touch
selections of font style and size plus variations includiC^*^
Plain, Bold. Italic and Underline! f***\s
It's no wonder uv've received top retiews, ra
awards from all the leading magazines...
Tlje Highest Accolades.
we
Final Copy II Release 2
Our word puxe\*>rs go ivyond simply producing normal
letters and document,, at which they naturally excel, and
progress into a world where "how the whole document
^^j looks" is just as important as
"what ii says'. Admittedly, this
can be achieved with Desk Top
Publishers - but they're not so
easily used as word processors,
especially when a good looking
letter needs creating quickly - they're far too cumbersome.
Final Copy //oilers the perfect
balance between the two
requirements. Ease and speed of
use, combined with total control
over the perfect final printed
presentation
Complete control over how documents look, now
you have it at your finger tips on your Amiga!
Features include FastDraw™ (on-screen drawing took
It >r the generation of borders, boxes and lines or arnjw S
at any angle Multiple Newspaper Style snaking
. Pcrfft tPrimTf (the unique ability to use
/oUScripJP 1 outline fonts on
absotaHcrV any printer in either
portrait or^£ndscape> and Text
Auto Flows Ground graphic
objects and irriponed pictures
(placed anywhere, scaled or
eropjg^pfi the highest printing quality, "few can alsi i
p^^bc primed over graphics! I is features like thciTTtat
in wh\ v 'me professional rrragazineSHWtlk^OO*
page-, or: m edeniiielvwtthfwti/i
Publisher a' ' . "'hers have quickly discovered...
No other Amiga Word Processor ia the same
category has all the capabilities Final Copy it
urns have always taken lor granted!
t
NFtruS MEMORY: Our fifndurts itrr the
to their memory. U*r others, ue quote ibe minimum memory rr { fulmt m Uwut our software but we at*o Uke to mak»- il dear that utt graph
ave ouA
cs
^
100 Clip
Art files
and 120
Fonts...
free/
with
Final
jmVritei
NEW Final Writer Release 2
Final ITri/er was launched last year wfth the* powei user in mind. It Is the
Amiga's only Hard Drive compulsory word processor • neither performance
nor features have been compromised to maintain compatibility with floppy
drive only systems As well as having a unique list of features tor the author of
longer documents and publication^ automatic indexing, table of illustrations,
table of contents and bibliography generation - Final Writer with it> TextBkxks 11 '
was the first word processor to put a character (or group of characters) anywhere
on the page, al any Size and am angle. It offers a virtually unlimited ability
for effects with graphic - and text Just like Pinal O'fy ii. Final W'ri/er also
includes PcrfeclPrint™ and
has a set of tools to create
structured graphics with new
FastDraw Phis™ (now with
additional functioruhiY that
includes new options like
rotation). And... you can aisi I
access features unique to
Softwood with both the
new TouchTools™ and
Poweri ; ser Bar™ "nne-i( null" technologies By sirtipk < Inking abuoon, you
can define, change and save such things as the Paragraph Styles tie Font.
POM Size. Text Position. Bold, Italic I'nderline etc ) and 'Layout Options \ left.
right, centre or justified, bullets, line spacing, indents etc i The options you
^^ have through single button selections are nothing less than remarkable'
IT Indeed, one magazine heralded these as "the ( l< >scst thing to Mien is< >lt
w \ ^ Word to appear on the Amiga"! Also uniquely, Final Writer can import,
4J W m ■ •.. x scale, crop, view on screen and output structured PostScript
^mml^m^ — -^ EPS clip-an images (we supply a hundred free with the
A<tmi Otr> An m smhed ^^ w wypfrm , > :nit) , wcm kam required).
And... if you own a PostScript printer Final Writer is the only word
processor with a set of output options including scaling, crop marks
thumbnails, and halftoning. Combine features like ARexxVMacros
and Text Clips™, with others new to Final Writer Release 2,
including floating palettes and UNDO/REDO ton text, formatting
and graphics actk>as> - and we have...
The Perfect Word Processing/Page Publishing Solution.
♦
•£
<<
I
* * +
SpftWood
Or had ax
m b* OUdi more
v>mt- rime -
- -^tSSSsr
ttbrn
•Wnandaea i M f h,™ ftwprc
V* on hu, a band „(,. *». , -- ,, *««Mlhecna** #
Bin don I "^HWe Software at
*3"fiass
Rw» (ha, r Jk™ Z? * adta *»»J oub* frj. i _'!* w *» "frta*
^ Today...,. i*
"ta rouve hern missmg.
3 Easy ways to Order
BY PHONE
0773 521606
♦
BY FAX
0773 831040
▲V" BY P0ST /*
^r ...to the address below
******
m
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms: Initial! s): Suraamj: A.
Address:
kf-r-lg
"m
County (Countrs if overseas): .__..
Daytime telephone: F\ i-mng telephone*
c
c
rr
5C
SoftWood Direct Price: £74.9,
!
r Hotline 0773 521
«J tqfhtarr rvuuires morr m.rmwy - drftrmirl am tkxpmttiom* Mm rtfM-J
Sq
HlctoC«.UtJ£c m^rwJlWWrteatrfs; drtafcd betaV^lMv fir*) rf*
KAo - 149.95 / • ^on UK EC £5M5
•frrw// IFWc/ I'M Ot-giv:* 17-U^ ^'fwS/l tf'nftV Non UK EC£»4.K | |
JADctrii Card Nou
(Cjor.4<ii'i<»nwno« 5ijnal«fr.
c
3C
I F.xpiry Date " | | | | Issue No S*
(V-u. n/fouh tfcl .soft Wood Prodi «:
54 AMOS
Simon Green shows you how to create plasma
clouds, read from a sound sampler and surf the Internet.
I there! My name Is Simon Green, and
over the next few months I'm going to be
your expert guide through the wonderful
work! Of AMOS. It's certain to be a journey filled
with danger and excitement. On the way you're
sure to shed both tears of joy and tears of
sadnoee, but it you pay close attention there will
be many rewards. Anyway, I think I've taken this
metaphor far enough now, so on with the show.
PLASMA CLOUDS
To kick oft we have a neat little program that is a
personal favourite of mine. It generates multi-
coloured "plasma cloud' patterns, of the sort often
seen in European demos and on the covers of
dance music compilation albums. The program is
fully controllable and you can save out the finished
pictures for use in your own productions.
Plasma clouds are an example of what is
called a recursive subdivision (or plasma) fractal.
This may sound complicated, but the actual
procedure to produce them is actually very simple.
The easiest way to visualise the pattern is as a
square 3D map, with each point in the pattern
representing the height at a corresponding point on
the map. The diagram on the next page illustrates
the process, with the heights shown as numbers.
The basic algorithm is very easy to understand.
Stage 1. We start off with a single square the
size of the full map. and set each of the four comer
points to random heights (in this case, 10. 50.30
and 0).
Stage 2. This is the clever bit. We create four
new points at the midpoints of each edge of the
square. We set the height of each of these
midpoints to the average height of the points at the
Listing 7 : Fractal Plasma Clouds
' Fractal plasma clouds
' Slmoa Gieen, 1994
|
Sac Buffer 300
' open screen
Screen Open 0, 320,257, 32, LORES
Cure Off i FUeh Off x Cle
*
' sat up and display palatta
Palette SO, $P00, $f20, $F40, $P60, $F80, $PB0 # I
SFD0.SFF0,SCF0,$9r0.S6F0,S3F0,SF0,Sr5,SF8,
$rB,$FE,$EF,$BF,$8P,$6F ( $3F,$F,$30F,$60F,<
$90F, SCOF, SFOF, $F0B, $F06, $F02
For C«l TO 31
Ink C : Bar 310, C*5 To 319,C*5*3
NCXt
I
' map alia
S-128
- recursion limit
Ul
' randomness factor
RAKDOM-200
' maximum height
HEIGHTMAX-10000
' scaling factor
SCALEt-30.0/HBIOHTKAX
' height map array
Dim M(S,S)
' set corners of map to random heights
Randomize Timer
M( , ) «Rnd (HBIGHTMAX )
H { S , ) «Rfld ( IUUQHTMAX )
11(0, S)-Rnd (HBIGHTMAX)
M(S.S)-Rnd (HBIGHTMAX)
»
' generate map
mc [0,0,8]
' do some pretty colour cycling
Shift Dp 1,1,31,1
Wait Key
Shift Off
End
#
Procedure MAP PLOT [MX. MY]
Shared mo, scale*
C-M(MX,MY)«SCALB»
C-Abs(C) mod 31
Ink 1*C : Plot MX, MY
End Proc
r*e*<W
do
we
(T4
V ^JS?S>^^
a
*£>
woe.
^
Procedure
FRAC[X,Y,S]
Shared MO.L,*
RANDOM
H-S/2
R«H* RANDOM
' plot map points on screen
MAPPLOT[X,Yj
MAPPLOT[X*S,Y]
MAPPLOT[X,Y+S]
MAPPLOT[X*S,Y+S]
' calculate mid points
If M<X+H,Y)-0
M<X*H,Y)-<M(X,Y)*M(X+S,Y))/2+*-
Rnd(R)-<R/2>
End If
If MiX-H,Y-S}-0
K<X*H,Y»S)*(M(X,Y.S)*M<X.S.Y.S> )/2 + <
Rnd(R)-(R/2)
End If
If M(X,Y«H)-0
M(X,Y*H)-(M(X,Y)+M(X,Y+S) ) /2.Rnd(R)-
(R/2)
End If
If M'.X-S.Y*H)=0
M(X*S,Y*B)-(M(X+S,Y)*M(X*S,Y«S})/2+<
Rnd(R)-(R/2>
End If
' calculate middle point
If M(X+H,Y*H)-0
M(X«H,Y*H>.(M(X+H,Y)*M(X*H.Y*SW*-
M(X,Y*H)*M(X+S,Y+H))/4*Rnd(R)-{R/2)
End If
' if not too deep, recurse
If H>»L
FRAC[X,Y,H]
FRAC[X+H,Y.H]
FRAC[X,Y*H,H]
FRAC[X*H,Y+H,H)
End If
End Proc
There are more than 2,500,000
computers connected to the
Internet. Current estimates put
the number of worldwide users
at 20 million.
ends of the edge. So. for the top edge, which has
heights of 10 and 50 at the ends, the height of the
new point is 30 (10*50 / 2). We do the same for
the left, right and bottom edges.
Finally, we add another new point at the centre
of the square, whose height is the average of the
four new points that we created on the edges. In
the example, the height of the middle point is 22.5
(10+50+30+0 / 4). which is rounded down to 22.
Stage 3. Now, if you look carefully, you will see
that in all the excitement we have created four
brand new squares, each half the size of the
original square.
We can now repeat the procedure we
performed in stage2 on each of these new
squares. Each of these squares will in turn create
new four squares, and so on. You can carry on
doing this until all the slots are filled in, as shown
in stage 4 in the diagram. As it stands, this
process will simply produce a smooth contour
between the corners of the map since it is
basically just averaging out the heights between
points. But if we add a random value to the
midpoints, related to the size of the square we are
working on, much more interesting and
unpredictable patterns occur.
USE THE SOURCE, LUKE!
The way we program this algorithm in AMOS
involves a technique known as recursion, which is
all about functions calling themselves. In our
program the recursion comes in the form of a
procedure that calls itself four times. Thinking
about this too hard will probably make your brain
hurt, so I won't go into too much detail. The map
itself is stored in a two-dimensional array called
M(). You can think of this array as a table with rows
and columns, with each entry holding a number
representing the height at that point on the map.
Without any random element, the program makes
a smooth gradient between the corners...
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
AMOS 55
AMOS ON THE NET
You can't open a magazine or watch
television these days without
hearing something about the
"Internet" and "information-super-
highways". But despite all the hype.
there is a huge amount of useful
information and software available
on the Internet, If you know where to
look. And not surprisingly, there is a
considerable amount of Amiga and
AMOS material out there
AMOS MAILING
LIST
Those of you lucky enough to have
access to the Internet might like to
subscribe to the AMOS mailing list.
All you have to do is send a
message to "amos-
request@access digex.net". with the
text "SUBSCRIBEyouremailaddress"
in the body. You should soon
receive a friendly message from
Michael Cox, the moderator of the
list, which will tell you how to
contribute. From then on. every day
your mailing box will be flooded with
messages from the list, containing
lively discussion and debate (usually
on the relative merits of AMOS and
Blitz Basic). AMOS news, reviews
and even the occasional program. If
• •4*
I 1
r*
M !~ .
* iinlirtf »«•««-*. i*-»
rt«
*m»'i'mmmwm^^^m-mmr * - ^mm -**■ ■ *«■
The World Wide
Web provides a
much more
friendly interface
to the Internet,
which means
you can waste
even more time
playing around
with it
»*»,***- ***** i*i •*.***•% rtta I - n*)»
I :: Si
i***>
m. }9 *>m*
'9
rr *
«ft*«r
iMtn
There Is a huge
amount of
Amiga and
AMOS
information on
the Internet. If
you know where
to look.
you're lucky you might even see one
of my witty contributions.
AMINET
The Ammet is a collection of
connected ftp sites that contain a
huge amount of Amiga public
domain and shareware software,
including a lot of material that is
difficult to find elsewhere. The most
local sites for UK users are probably
••ftp.luth.se", located in Sweden,
and "src.doc.ic.ac.uk ". at Imperial
College, London. All the AMOS
software is located in the
"/dev/amos" directory. There is an
interesting selection of demos,
utilities, and extensions to be found
fc/aM'til fc
««*■•* i*^< *►.**•
: ** **
there, some of which I may be
reviewing in a future issue.
If you don't have Internet
access, you can also obtain the
Amtnet archives on CD-ROM. See
the Aminet CD-ROM review in the
May issue for more information.
Even if you don't have access to the
Internet, you'll probably find that
some of your local BBSs have AMOS
discussion areas. And if you don't
have a modem, your favourite public
domain distributor is sure to have a
wide selection of AMOS disks
available. Why not check them out?
And if you don't have an Amiga.
well, what are you then doing
reading this magazine?
Most of the clever stuff in the program
happens in the FRAC procedure. This procedure
takes the co-ordinates of the top-left corner of a
square(x.y), and its size (s). and calculates the
heights of all the midpoints. It then calls itself four *
times to calculate the four new squares that are
produced. Each of these calls of the procedure will
also call the procedure again four times, and so on
until the pattern is complete. The procedure
MAPPLOT is used to plot the map to the screen as
the calculation progresses. It takes the height from
the map array, converts it to a screen colour, and
plots a point on the screen in the right place.
There are a number of constants defined at the
beginning of the program which you can alter to
change the patterns that are produced. To change
one of the parameters, simply delete the existing
number and type in a new value, then re-run the
program. "S" controls the size of the map. or more
accurately the length of the side of the (square)
map. It should always be a power of two (eg. 256,
128, 64 etc.). To produce a full screen map. simply
change the line S=128 to S=256."L" is the
recursion limit, which controls how deep the
• 1
2 9 4 9 4 7 9
■
1
2
a
4
5
4
7
•
•
1
2
a
4
5
4
7
■
•
1 2 3 4 5 4 7 •
■
1
2
1
4
I
1
7
■
t«
M
-HJ
j
5
22
I **
■
"" r
at
15
I » 9
■
2 3 4 5 6 7 1
S I
■
SI*** 2
1 2 3 4 9 4 7 t
i
•
1
2
3
4
5
|
7
•
Ml \m\
|15| i 25
as
I 29 32
\— 4S
1
•
I ia| i»[ 2a^
I J7
42
47
7
14
1 24
_)»
45
11 | j 21
JaTT
49
i i
4
14 14
[ m
1 ' *
41
[ V
— I
2
ii
19
2i>
J 5
hi
22
1
j *
S : 2
Sta«« a
t :
St... 4
PLASMA
CLOUDS
The easiest way to
visualise the
pattern is as a
square 3D map,
with each point in
the pattern
representing the
height at
corresponding
point on the map.
recursion goes.
For a fully filled-m map. this should be left at 1.
If you want to do a quick preview, then just set the
...but If we add a random element, we get pretty
cloud patterns like this.
If you increase the scaling factor, the patterns
can look like this.
recursion limit to 2 or 4. "RANDOM" is the
randomness factor. This controls the level of
randomness that is used to create the map. The
higher it is, the less smooth and more'crlnkly" the
cloud looks.'MAXHEIGHT" is the maximum height
allowed in the map. In actual fact, due to the
random element, the heights in the map can go
above this level. "SCALE", the scaling factor,
controls how the heights in the map. which can
range anywhere from to MAXHEIGHT. are
converted into screen colour numbers, which range
from 1 to 31 (since we are using a 32 colour
screen). Try multiplying the value in the program by
5 de add " # 5" to the end of the line) for an
interesting change.
Above all, experiment! Try changing a few
values, and see what effect it has. The only
problem is that the program is quite slow. It takes
about five and a half minutes on my old A500 to
draw a 128 x 128 map, but the results are usually
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
56 AMOS
BEGINNERS START HERE
What Is this AMOS thing, anyway 7
I've typed in the listing and the
saying. Can you help?
University or other educational
AMOS Is a popular version of the
program doesn t work.
Oh well. 1 tried my best. Try reading
establishment, although this is
BASIC programming language for
You need a copy of AMOS or AMOS
through the article again. Failing
obviously only for educational
the Amiga. It is specially designed
Professional to run these programs.
that, you could always sell your
purposes. Alternatively, there are
to make it easy to write programs
Check that you have typed in the
Amiga and take up needlework as a
now a wide choice of commercial
that take advantage of the Amiga's
program exactly as It appears in
hobby Instead.
services, such as Clx and Demon,
amazing sound, graphics and
the listing, since even the smallest
that will give you access for an
animation capabilities. You can use
mistake can cause some strange
How do 1 get to use this
hourly charge. You will also need a
AMOS to create anything from
problems.
"Internet"?
device known as a modem to
serious database applications to
The easiest (and least expensive)
connect your computer to the
demos and arcade games.
/ don't understand a word you're
way to get access Is through a
telephone system.
worth the wait. Also, remember that there is a large
random element involved, so you might have to run
the program a few times to get an attractive looking
pattern. If it looks boring, stop the program with
CTRL-C (press the CTRL and C keys at the same
time) and re-run it.
The palette built into the program is a
psychedelic colour spectrum, going from red to
yellow to blue to purple. Out you can use whatever
palette you like. You might like to try creating a
polcttc to mohc the map look like a real
Diue/green map of the earth, or some nice fluffy
white clouds. When the program has finished, it
cycles the colours just for fun. You can press any
key to stop it. Don't forget you can easily save out
the pictures the program generates by using
AMOS's "save iff" command. Just go into direct
mode by pressing escape when then program
finishes, and then type "save iff "filename"". You
can then load them into your favourite paint
program, use them as texture maps, or whatever.
Interestingly, the technique used to generate these
patterns is basically the same as that used to
generate fractal landscapes in programs such as
Vista. If there is enough interest, I might publish
the code to produce a 3D rendering of the map in a
future issue.
SAMPLE THIS
It's strange, but people are always coming up to
me in the street and saying; "Hey Si, you reckon
you're pretty smart — how do I read data from a
sound sampler in AMOS ?* This is what I tell them.
Seriously though, this is a common request, and
one which has a lot of interesting applications. In
JARGON BUSTING
Algorithm - a step-by step
of computer networks
Information Superhighway -
procedure for performing a
consisting of commercial.
much like an ordinary highway.
particular task, not necessarily
government and educational
but without the cars and stuff.
in any particular programming
establishments.
Seriously, the information
language.
Ftp - The Internet File Transfer
superhighway, if constructed,
Fractal - a mathematical
Protocol.
would supposedly enable
structure exhibiting self-
Ftp site - an archive of
computer data to be
similarity at different scales.
software and other information
transported across the world at
The Mandelbrot set is one of
that is accessible from
rates many times greater than
the most well known examples.
anywhere on the Internet. The
is possible at the moment over
Recursion - see recursion (ho
largest, at Imperial College,
existing lines.
ho - sorry, old computer joke!).
London, holds more than 34
BBS - Bulletin Board System
The Internet - a global network
Gigabytes of data.
E-mail - Electronic mail
fact, it's not as easy as it sounds.
The problem arises from the fact that it's
actually quite difficult to read from the parallel port
(where most sound samplers connect) by using
conventional means (using AMOS's "OPENPORT"
command and the "PAR:" device). Unfortunately,
the only possible solution is to access the
hardware directly. Strictly speaking this is not good
programming practice. In general, you should
always access the hardware through the operating
system, since the operation of the hardware could
change in future Amigas (if there are any).
However, the program does work reliably on
every Amiga I have tried it on, and it's not as if
AMOS itself is particularly OS-friendly anyway. A
quick peek in the Amiga Hardware reference
manual will tell you that the parallel port is
Listing 2: Reading
data from a sound sampler
' Reading data f ron a lound ■aapler in
Aaos
Locate 0,2 : Print Parasw"
* Siaon Green 1994
Draw To X,Paraa+127
*
Next
' CIA hardware addressee for the parallel
LOOp
port
*
CIAA_PORTB_DATA«$BPE101
Procedure init sampler
CIAA_PORTB_DIR-SBFB301
Shared CIAA_PORTB_DIR,CIAB_PORTA_DIR,* -
CIAB_PORTA_DATA-$BFD000
C I AB_PORTA_DATA
C I AB_ PORTA_D I R« 5 B TD2
' Set all bits in parallel port to inputs
'
Poke CIAA_PORTB_DIR,
' Open a nice green screen
' Set channel select bits ▼*•
Screen Open 0, 640, 256, 2, Hires
(SEL and POUT) to be outputs
Palette $0,$F0 : Curs Off
Poke CIAB_PORTA_DIR,%110
r
' Select left channel (if stereo sampler)
SPEED- 1
Poke CIAB_POP.TA_DATA.%100
IMIT.SAMPLER
End Proc
p
' Draw a nice graph
Procedure GET SAMPLE
'Do
Shared ciaa portb data
Cls
' Returns signed byte (-127 to 129) ▼*"
Print -AMOS Super Sound Sampler ▼*"
froa eaapler in PARAN
Oscilloscope"
BYTE- 128 -Peek (CIAA PORTB _DATA I
Plot 0,127
End Proc [BYTE]
ror x=o to 639 step spud
_OET_SAMPLE
controlled by some clever chips called the CIAs, or
Complex Interface Adapters. The hardware
addresses of these chips are defined at the
beginning of the program - make sure you type
them in correctly!
The program given in the listing simply draws a
pretty graph moving from left to right, but there's
no reason why you couldn't use the procedures to
produce a VU-meter type display, or even a
complete sound-to-light disco system. Everything
you need is contained in the two procedures
INIT.SAMPLER and _GET_SAMPLE (note the
leading underline). Simply call INIT.SAMPLER at
the beginning of your program to initialise the
sampler, then call _GET_SAMPLE every time you
want to read a sample from the sampler. It returns
a number from -127 to 128. which represents the
amplitude of the signal (ie the volume of the
sound) at that particular instant. It's unlikely that
you'll be able to sample quickly enough to actually
record a sound {you would have to call
_GET_SAMPLE at least 8000 times a second), but
there are many other possibilities. Have fun!
Future attractions for Amos Action might
include features on how to use MIDI from AMOS,
and how to read from the second mouse port. If
you've got any special requests, don't hesitate to
get in touch. QJ
REACH OUT
AND TOUCH ME
I don't know about you, but I'd like to a see a
bit more in the way of reader Interaction on
these pages. So, If you've got any questions,
programs or disk magazines you've created, or
contributions of any kind, why not send them
to me: Simon Green c/o Amiga Shopper, 30
Monmouth Street. Bath, Avon BA1 2BW and
I'll happily give them my critical attention?
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
You've made the ri^hi rhoice in hnv-
ing .in Amiga; no other computer
On compare to n.s versatility and
powci for the price. And, of course,
like all tilings you treasure, you have a w.n
i amy Cot ii which came -i> iiandard when you
first Im night it. But what happens after your
first yew is up} What if v > »» i r Amiga has .1
break down :
Awtiga hormut has put together a deal to
lake care of all those what lis. As a one-off spe-
1 ial offer i" Amiga Format readers, ICI, have .1
two-year extended warranty for A 1 2(H) owners
Not only do you get two wars' peace of
mind, hut you it vou choose this option
you will also receive a soliwaic bundle
worth more than £2<M) containing
Digita's Warttworth and f*nut Manager,
Electronic Arts' Deluxe Paint IV,
Ocean's Omnia and Microvaluc Hair's
Oarar. all tni |tisl £59.99. Mu> software is
.i\ailahle sukch while stocks last 10 rush
your ordei in now)
AMD THERE'S MORE..
For A1 200 owners
A home visiting service within four working
days.
Three years* - £39.99
Five years* - £69.99
For Amiga CD 32 owners
A retum-to-base warranty, where your machine
is collected and returned to you within 10 work-
ing days.
Three years* - £39.99
Five years* -£69.99
" From date of purchase
Three-year and five-year warranties mrm also avail-
able for Amiga CD" owners.
PLEASE POST TO: Amiga Format Special Offer,
Amiga Warranty Dept, ICL (UK) Ltd, Forest Road,
Feltham, Middlesex TW13 7EJ
Simply complete this form to upgrade you Amiga
warranty to the level you require.
1. REGISTRATION
Name
Address
2. WARRANTY UPGRADE REQUIRED
Please tick one box only.
AMIGA 1200
Two-year with software*
£S9.99
AMIGA A1 200
Three-year extended**
£39.99
a
Five-year extended**
£69.99
AMIGA CD"
Three-year extended**
£39.99
a
Five-year extended**
£69.99
a
Model/Type of machine
Post code
3. PAYMENT DETAILS
I enclose a cheque for:
Make cheques payable to ICL (UK) Ltd
Serial Number
ACCESS/VISA card no
Expiry date
Purchased from
Town
Date of purchase
Name on Credit Card
Please supply credit card holder's address if different from above
Signature
* Software available strictly while stocks last. * * From date of purchase
AS07/94
T^T
lil
H
with Clari
Claim your free
video. 60 minutes
of expert tuition
worth £14.99!
*
■
v
Hiraa
Tutorial Video
u l »«v»
tun Uiumr.iUllil, uwv
Until /- . ||||-j
Haiti
naiii.iutu
j in j 11 . in/ »
UlJil-j;.. tui- >i
' m'ht . mi •>
vjrv;iur;(u-ncui.j.(i^u
Cljrljjj. in,-.,
*i'*iM'jn..M
'•-* ttJi-M-Jgl UytM
Vr^ijrpiff7:
r * 1 i|MW jWHH I . ftMjH . it *
i»v#| J^oUmes] _P»t.m] £*nc*jj
i-:i» •,( /.„. «-.,<;< . |
t«r
M*
F|**M piMtl I J i»
Urf IINMImj gf I'JIIJrf
End uf r jitji
iiuiiurfr ii tfMi^a
1
•* *
SB
37ft£?
13 7*»
1
yiab Inport 1 |>«w<
*'"""' W«turn «mmwm|
^2TTPir;t'i iiirli
P'»* '* I *>«*>•»• »v.< II,
vj r \.t i* juj.i
- tor your** how i. *» , h . m „ t 0l „ of ^ ^^ ^^
J
Also available: a
free CD packed with
Amiga samples.
sate Thursday 21 June
CLARISSA FEATURES
• Arum 5 animations can be converted to SSA
format for vastly improved playback.
§• No palette limits: you can have a different
paleiie for every frame.
• Full AGA support including 256 colours and
HAM8
• Dynamic Disk Operation utilises hard drive
ac virtual RAM.
Conversion to SSA format can include
simultaneous change In resolution and
number of bltplanes.
Screen-grabbing function for direct data
Importation from multitasking programs.
Full ARexx support with cross-control with
other Aftexx-compatlble programs.
Colour functions such as fading, colour
chaos and lightning.
Separate player program for SSA animations.
c lar iSSft 1 . 1
23. 92. 93 Copyright 9 1»»2,f3 proDRD, Rll Rtght* R»»»rvd
(*,fom<t|
ZJ*IEr~Al3
Fii-
rui'iut
VltKJ tiuiltf
Ciiij* Itilil
fU# ItfUUlfl
32« x 312 : 2
LHCE
4«9«e
'j>j'j
Sivt
M f (,
Inport RDf
Inport VI *b
. Mf 'l.'.l.l I . . ,| 1.1 . un->
•i;i iii
■litlll. ln/u
U Jirjur • in/ u
U liiioH • in' 'J
CJUUU. tnr •.
Ctmilurttbtfucbl -J. in/u
CI ji- iaa j. uii'i
cm j* tu»*a
ct*# j ft luit ..t 1
cuiuut J
\> invr . -nil
Fr«» U33-Mjc| Uyftva
i ,-.j-#i- |Hff3
Flttfl
m
tav»| VoluRttl P«r*nt| <«nc»l|
I llu'Jtf -J inJu'.i iv ilUUitf
y^l 2cr#nu rur CuiiU'i
QI2»«k» | 1>!>0-Vuluti»
^J JUfHUI't *'*U U JCll'JI'UUIlJ
Ol H»*f r |
friii* pua i » I mi
: l ■ J ■ mi - I, | «jf |'J||'J*
End ut I'jirjrf
llUilUtfl* u/ fl*i|*|tfA
illlin fui'iut
* i*«#
HH
3 ii#
s«
SSR
371ft?
1J741
1
E21£l|
'L«b Impo rt 1 Fffj
Return
:ZT
— 1 at jtui
LtUu
^al i- jc t i •■ i t v
Ol »' |B I Cuiiprtfaatuu
J^J F i.t r Jiijtf
j£l iilJiiUurjyst *.i
Next month, Amiga Format promises you the power of ClariSSA - the
Super Smooth Animation processor.
Of course, getting to grips with a complex package like this can
be a real headache - what you need is expert guidance...
Claim your free video and let Amiga Format take you
through ClariSSA step-by-step. The video, (which will be on
general sale for £14.99 once AF61 has sold out) will be
available free only to Amiga Format readers — you only
have to pay the price of postage and packing.
This video has been specially created to complement
the ClariSSA Coverdisk, and has been produced with the
help of the Amiga Format team. So you know it'll be good.
This is the first in a series of video guides
commissioned and co-written by Amiga Format. See the
July issue for more details!
ON NEXT MONTH'S COVERDISK
ClariSSA - the complete program worth £79.99!
60 VIDEO
Gary Whiteley continues the titling theme, looking at
credit sequences, subtitling, captions, idents, and more in
this second and concluding part of his video tutorial.
■■■
■
^f
*
^M
^^B
A
A
{
Alright I admit rlgM from the start that
there are no hard and fast rules which
apply to video titling and graphics,
except that it helps tf the audience is able to read
and understand the messages you are providing.
Beyond that, layout, design, style, use of colour,
and so on are mainly a matter of personal taste,
though there are certain physical and technical
constraints (listed at the end of last month's
article) which the user would do well to observe
in order to obtain the maximum impact with the
least problems. Otherwise, the sky's the limit,
and what you can do depends only on the
capabilities of your equipment, the software you
use and your skill and imagination.
VIDEO TITLING
A video title can be almost any Amiga graphic
image you like, from plain text on a black
background (which of course could be genlocked
out) to a digitised image, a 3D render or a full-
blown animated sequence. It could remain static,
fade up and down or use special effects to get it on
and off screen. It may be anything from a two
colour lo-res image (though I wouldn't recommend
it) to HAM-8 or 24-Oit hi-res if your Amiga can
handle it. It may be part of a scrolling sequence or
it may just be a single, simple image which either
holds its own or is part of a custom-designed video
sequence which is shot and edited to order.
Whatever, it should by now be apparent that there
are loads of options available when producing
video titles, and that it is ultimately up to you to
decide what's best for the job in hand.
One cheap and easy way to get some titling
inspiration is to watch TV. taking special interest in
the way that graphics are used. Don't worry about
copying the quality - I know it's extremely unlikely
that most readers will have an Amiga and video
setup which is well-enough equipped to do
broadcast quality graphics - but there's no reason
why you can't try out some of the ideas you see
and determine just what you can do with the
equipment you have. How can you expect to know
what your Amiga is capable of until you push it to
its limit? So do just that. Try using large fonts, and
Colorfonts, or make an animated sequence with
A video title can be anything you want It to be.
Here's one I made In a 3D program to prove that
not all video graphics have to be of 2D origin.
Deluxe Paint. Try combinations of text and
graphics, change the layout around, try different
fonts and colours and find out what suits your
titling style. Note that title graphics are frequently
contained in a Title Sequence, or as part of the
Opening Credits, often along with a specially
prepared sequence of video images designed to
give the viewer an instant idea of the programme's
content and type.
CREDITS, SCROLLS AND
CRAWLS
I mention credits, scrolls and crawls in the same
breath because credit sequences are the most
likely candidates for the scroll or crawl treatment.
By which I mean that lines of text is either scrolled
vertically over the screen or it crawls in a single
strip horizontally across the screen. The majority of
TV and film credits are of the scrolling variety and
most (but not all!) scroll up the screen at a
reasonably readable speed. However. If you don't
have any software capable of scrolling or crawling
there's no reason why you can't just flip between
several screens of static text as you need them -
this is perfectly acceptable and you'll see many TV
programmes which employ this technique. The
most important aspect of a credit sequence is to
provide the right information in the right order,
which means that you've got to be a bit organised.
If you're directly involved in the video production
that you're doing the credits for, then it should be
fairly easy to make a list of everyone involved and
what part they play in the production.
Putting it all in the right order can be a little
more tricky, as pecking order can sometimes be
more important than talent, and woe betide the
graphics artist or technician who puts the actor's
names in bigger text than the Director under such
circumstances! Exactly how you credit everyone,
and in what order, size and even colour can be
dictated not only by how much time there is
available for the final 'roller' (as it is sometimes
known), but also by the background that the credits
will run against. You'll all be familiar with the speed
that the credits rush by at the end of American TV
soaps and dramas, but have you ever wondered
why? Economics, that's why! Each second that the
credits are on screen means that potential
commercial time is lost - and that means less
money for the station's shareholders. Hence the
proliferation of superfast credits.
Thankfully most of us don't need to worry
ourselves about the speed of the credits we
produce, and so we can take the time we need to
make sure that everything can be successfully and
easily read. Crawls can be useful for more than just
credit sequences. Information can be run across
the lower regions of a live TV picture without
obscuring the image too much, thereby cramming
more information on to the screen at any one time,
whilst keeping it as readable as possible. Network
7 (an early and innovative Channel four youth
I
f .
An example of how you could lay out scrolling
text, whether alone or over a video background.
Use your imagination and work out your own
styles if you have access to scroller software.
Crawling text moves sideways across the screen,
usually within the lower part of the screen. Crawls
are a handy way of showing video whilst supplying
a continual stream of accessory Information.
programme) was one of the pioneers of full-on-
information-in-your-face, and quite often overdid it,
but nevertheless they proved that crawls (and other
dynamic graphics overlays) can easily be used to
provide extra information during a video production,
advert, or what have you.
SUBTITLES
Subtitles are those indispensable (but occasionally
irritating) chunks of text which often adorn the
bottom part of the TV screen when a foreign
language film is being shown. Invariably they are
composed of white text on a solid or semi-opaque
black background and sometimes they can be quite
funny if the translator's grasp of English isn't too
hot. The problem with doing your own subtitling is
that it takes a lot of time and effort - not only to
put the subtitling on to video, but also to prepare
all the text and insert it on screen at suitable
points in the dialogue.
Professional subtitlers use time-code systems
which read a time code recorded on to the source
video tape and then trigger each subtitle at
predetermined points. Amiga users can do this too,
with the help of a SMPTE card and Zen
Computing's Euro Titler software (Zen « 061
7931931). Less demanding (Or less solvent) users
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1 994
VIDEO 6 1
can still do successful subtitling, though you'll
need to be quick on the draw and constantly alert if
you don't have access to video editing equipment,
because doing a long run of subtitles in a single
stretch demands a lot of concentration and a
hnovvledge of the job In hand. Once again, even a
paint program can be utilised at a pinch, and
multiple pages containing each separate subtitle
can be page-nipped as required. There are some
software packages, particularly Scala MM300 and
EuroTitler, which will give you more control over
your subtitling, perhaps even letting you choose the
transparency of their automatically-generated text
boxee. as well as tngger text either by time
settings, or manually,
CAPTIONS
Captions are a bit like subtitles in that they are
usually placed in the lower third of the screen.
However, unlike subtitles, captions are used to
identify or introduce places and persons - such as
To add text to a picture or present a translation
from a foreign language, subtitles are often the
easiest way to do it. Semi-transparent backings
are often used to make the text easier to read.
a news presenter. Captions often consist of
significantly more than just a name or title. Graphic
elements are also commonly included, for example
a programme or station ident may be added
alongside the text, and a fancy backdrop might be
Incorporated to really set the caption apart from
the background video. But quite often just a simple
line above white text may be all that is required,
unless it's hard to see the text or graphics against
the background video - in which case an opaque or
semi-opaque backdrop may be necessary. Captions
don't have to be static either - they could, for
instance, contain an animated station logo, or
transition on and off for more Impact.
IDENTS
Idents are useful because they remain on screen
and are used to provide a constant reminder to the
viewer about the channel they are watching, or the
Or LU in stan O'Bnnqie
' AUIM, I KOM I IV| KI*vXt|
KEN SMART 3=Uve from Bogota
W'i"
Call Now
IO 235 6987
Here are three different caption styles, ranging
from the simple to the complex. Each serves a
purpose; to give the viewer concise Information
about a person, place or current event.
Putting a permanent caption or logo on the screen
(like the small version In the comer!) helps the
viewers identify the product much faster and also
help* them to remember what they are watching.
product or service that is being advertised, and so
continually keep the name in the viewer's mind. An
ident is usually a miniature representations of a
logo or design which is placed in one of the corners
of the screen so as not to distract the viewer's
attention away from the program too much, but still
be annoying enough to be noticed and recognised.
Idents also serve the useful purpose of
permanently branding a programme with its
maker's or owner's symbol, making any piracy far
more obvious. Say you've made a specialist
programme about Amiga graphics which you know
is going to be in great demand, but you're pretty
sure that piracy is going to be a problem. By
placing your ident on screen there's no way that a
pirate can claim that the tape is his own work.
SPECIAL EFFECTS
Depending on what Amiga and video hardware and
software you have, there are various options for
spicing up your video graphics with special effects.
If you have a genlock (which you almost certainly
will if you're doing Amiga DTV). then you'll know
that you can already overlay graphics on to video by
using either palette colour zero, or (with certain
genlocks) a user-selectable colour as the colour
which becomes transparent to video. If you apply a
little thought, and use a paint program, you can
probably come up with a lot of interesting
variations quite easily. By designing graphics and
text which have only a partly 'see-through'
background, and by considering how your
graphics/titles/credits sequences will work before
you shoot the video, it's possible to produce
something a bit more innovative than rolling credits
up the middle of the screen. For instance, what
about displaying a scrolling, page-flipped or
animated credit sequence on one side of the
screen only, or crawling it across a solid backdrop
If you want to put information In one part of the
screen, use a paint program and a genlock to
make the other part transparent. This Is one easy
way you can customise your video graphics.
If you want to put crawling text on a backdrop
over video then you'll need Scala MM300 - It's
the only Amiga software I know of which Is
capable achieving this effect.
overlaid on to video?
The first choice is the easier of the two as it
only requires some simple paint or scroller
software and a few fonts to get going. The latter
requires either Scala MM300 and a genlock or
vision mixer capable of doing video wipes. The first
example is easy because all you have to do is
prepare your scroll or pages of information one by
one (hint: copy one screen and use it as a
template) and make sure that the area you want to
see video through is in the genlock colour (usually
palette colour zero). Then, when you genlock the
scroll or images over video all the areas which are
the 'transparent' colour will be replaced by video.
One thing to avoid is using colour zero in the areas
where you don't want video to show through - so
use a different black for shadows or outlines if your
zero colour is black! The second example is easy
too - but only if you have Scala MM300 and a
genlock. As I said - it all depends on the
equipment you have. Gary Whiteley can be emailed
as drgaz9cix.compulink.co.uk ftt
JARGON BUSTING
Captions - a block of text
images.
permanently (and often
and/or graphics, usually lower
Keying - a method of
annoyingly) in the comer of the
screen, to introduce a subject
electronically isolating part of a
screen to let you know which
or talking head to the viewer.
video image and overlaying it
channel you're watching.
Crawling - text which moves
on to a second image.
Subtitles - on-screen text
horizontally in a single line
Genlocks use keying to put
translation of foreign dialogue
across the screen.
graphics over video.
or for those with impaired
Credits - a list of the cast,
Scrolling - pages of text which
hearing.
crew and others involved in a
move smoothly up (and
Title Sequence - the front end
film or video production.
sometimes down) the screen.
of a programme, designed to
Genlock - hardware to enable
Used for credit sequences.
introduce it, tell the viewer its
mixing computer graphics with
Station Ident - A small
name and perhaps who stars in
live or prerecorded video
logo/design which sits
a
it, and so on.
•
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
62 BACK ISSUES
ISSUE 2
ISSUC 3
ISSUE 4
Missed out on those tutorials,
reviews and informative features?
Here's your chance to catch up.
I55UE 14
OUND-UP
mew TUU! ■s,e^=-s IMJ.
Hand scanners reviewed and
rated; 15 memory expansions
compared; Incorporating sound
effects and soundtracks into
your animations; artificial
Intelligence; Improve your
Amiga programming £3
ISSUE 25
=- -=_n iriivi t m
9et t mm wwdj*et*i»oi !
Nine top word processors
reviewed and rated: legal
advice with Amiga Advocate.
Cover disk: EdWord text
editor/WP. AZSpell spelling
checker. CompuGraphlc fonts
and Virus Checker £4
ISSUE 35
Special beginner's guide.
Noddy's Big Adventure
reviewed. Cover disk: HDCllck,
Compugraphic fonts. King Con,
Fast JPEG, Magic Menus, Trash
Icon, Imagine objects, C and
AMOS source code........ £4
ISSUE IS
The best In PD software - how
to set up a complete software
system for nothing; the
PostScript interpreter Post,
ImageMaster, SaxonScrlpt
Professional DCTV and AVideo
24 reviewed £3
ISSUE 26
Find out how your Amiga works
with The Amiga Exposed; get
the best from your samples;
fractal landscapes; VHS back-
up system, Personal Paint,
TypeSmlth and ADI Junior
reviewed £3
ISSUE 36
Render a superb-looking
ship with Imagine. Real 3D or
Caltgart. Cover disk: K2C.
Cover Ship, MIDI Player,
BigAnlm. LDOS. C, AMOS and
AmigaDOS source code,
BrushCon. Pay Advice £4
2D Paint packages reviewed
and rated; which programming
language is the one for you;
PageStream 2, Scala,
Broadcast Tltler and the KCS
Powerboard PC emulator
reviewed £3
ISSUE 16
^ TOP TIPS
_ —
200 top tips - advice on
everything from accelerators to
Workbench. BASIC to WPs, C
to video; getting the most from
video titling; Hit Kit,
Professional Calc and HAMA'b
290 genlock reviewed £3
ISSUE 27
Upgrade your A500 to A1200
level; accelerator round-up:
Professional Page 4 reviewed.
Cover disk: OctaMED. XOper,
Move file mover. JullaMovie,
appointment scheduler, source
code and Virus Checker. £4
ISSUE 37
MS&ffl
Eiptore mtftirMdij
-z^ WED
Explore multimedia with our
guide to buying a CD drive and
presentation software, with full
listing of multimedia titles.
Prlmera printer and Wordworth
3 reviewed PLUS how to create
flying logos and hand scan ...£3
Accelerator cards put head-to-
head; the versions of BASIC
compared; first Installment of C
programming tutorial;
PageStream tutorial: Bars &
Pipes Professional and AT Once
PC emulator reviewed £3
ISSUE 17
The top desktop publishing
packages reviewed and rated;
understanding typography;
write adventure games with
Visionary, tips on writing your
own arcade game; Roland's
new MIDI standard £3
ISSUE 28
How to make money with your
Amiga; Amiga animations on
TV; legal advice; chords with
OctaMEO. Directory Opus,
Emplant, PageSetter 3 and Art
Department Professional
reviewed .£3
The Amiga Tapes
Discover what the experts have
to say about the Amiga's
future: creato stunning
animations with our eight page
guide. PLUS reviews of
Brilliance 2, Clarissa. Montage
24 and Vista Lite X3
Ten of the most popular
printers checked out; creating
a structured drawing package
with C; programming with
Intuition; Wordworth, Real3D,
Imagine. Superbase 4, T^X and
Pro 24 reviewed £3
ISSUE IS
Amiga Answers special - 32
pages of solutions to problems
on everything from AmigaDOS
to video; using lighting to
enhance your 3D graphics
creations; typographical tips;
Maxlplan 4 reviewed £3
ISSUE 29
AMIGA
"*»,
Computer crime and how to
protect yourself from it; Power
XL high-density floppy, Ami-
Back back-up system. VLab YC
dlgitiser. Pixel 3D Professional
and MBX1230 accelerator
reviewed £3
THE AMIGA
SHOPPER BINDER
/
Don't get all mixed up! Keep all
your valuable issues of Amiga
Shopper sate, together and In
order. If you're serious about
your Amiga Shoppers, then you
really ought to consider getting
a binder..... ONLY C4.95
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
BACK ISSUES 63
ISSUES
ISSUE 9
ISSUE 10
ISSUE 1 1
ISSUE 13
< > » TNI AMIGA
-— euvirtf*
A complete guide to buying
Amlgas and related hardware;
Prolog programming; tho HAM-
E graphics system. RocGen
genlock. KCS sequencer
reviews PLUS tips on OTP. MIDI
and spreadsheets £3
ISSUE 20
Step-by-step guide to ray-
tracing; accelerator board
round-up; multitasking tutorial;
build a ROM switcher; fractals
tutorial; artificial intelligence;
AMOS Professional and
Opalvislon reviewed £3
ISSUE 30
Video on tho cheap - tho
techniques and low-cost
software you need; how to use
fonts; Proper Grammar,
TechnoSound Turbo 2. AMOS
Pro Compiler and Powerbase
reviewed £3
The complete Amiga software
guide; how to receive satellite
and radio transmissions;
designing Christmas card*; with
Professional Page; using MIDI
sequencers: reviews of Scala
and the A500 Plus £3
ISSUE 21
Amiga Shopper Awards for the
best buys in 92. Cover disk:
CG fonts, DlrWork, screen
blanker, ICalc, LhA, PowerSnap
2, ROES. ReOrg, Safe Delete,
SPCIock. Syslnfo and Vlrua
Checker £4
ISSUE 31
AMIGA
Amiga Answers special - 26
pages of advice; Compugraphlc
fonts. Cover disk: debugging
utilities, Flexer, EasyCalc.
PayAdvlce, ASPalnt source
code, Address Book source
code, Virus Checker 6.30 £4
How best to draw with Deluxe
Paint the guide to the best
sound samplers available;
budget business packages;
ARexx; GB Route Plus 2,
Showmaker and Rendale Super
8802 reviewed £3
ISSUE 22
Which prfoftf*
20 printers - dot matrix, Inkjet
and laser - reviewed and rated;
beginners guide to the Amiga;
spreadsheet tutorial; guide to
AmlgaDOS 3; code clinic;
sample storage techniques;
hand scanners compared £3
ISSUE 32
Scanners special - reviews of
colour scanners and their
software; Brilliance reviewed.
Cover disk: ACC Hardware
Programming Guide,
MapStatlon, Listings, Alarm,
ASPalnt and QuIckToola £4
~*f^
CDTV and its software get a
good going over; how to perfect
your printing; Harlequin
graphics board, Stereo Master
sampler. Genesis and KCS
Power Board PC emulator
reviewed £3
ISSUE 23
How to fit a hard drive to an
A600 or A1200; starting with
assembler; Cover disk: Alert,
Cycle To Menu, Kwlkbackup,
LhA, ReqTools. SnoopDOS,
Virus Checker, assembler and
linker package £4
ISSUE 33
Reviews special - over 50
products rated. Cover disk:
DICE C compiler, Address Book
C source. Nexus video
backgrounds. ASPalnt AfAOS
source PLUS free Complete
Amiga C booklet £4
FREE Tracey covermount and
how to use It In our animation
special; the unforgettable guide
to Amiga memory; PC CDs with
the A570: Miracle Piano
Teaching System and RocTec
hard drive reviewed £3
ISSUE 24
RAM - what it is and what to
buy In our In-depth round-up and
tutorial; DIY hardware repairs;
parallax scrolling with AMOS;
eliminating MIDI faults; Art
Expression and G-Lock genlock
reviewed £3
ISSUE 34
l^ord for
Workbench?
Will there ever be Word tor
Workbench? Final Writer
reviewed and Wordworth 3 pre-
viewed. Cover disk: ReSource
Demo. Rend24, ToolsDaemon,
C and AMOS source code, Ami-
Cipher, Ambush, GUI-Guru £4
i
i
BACK ISSUES ORDER FORM *T?~*
I Please tick the
I issues you require:
Price* lilted ore per copy
I
I
I
I
SEND THIS FORM (no stomp required) TO: Amiga Shopper,
Future Publishing Ltd, FREEPOST (BS4900), Somerton, Somerset, TA1 1 6BR.
Do not send cosh through the post with your mail orders.
Please make all cheques payable to Future Publishing Limited.
□ 2 U3 Q4 Q8 J 9 □ 10 Gil
□ 16 J 17 □ 18 □ 20
□ 24 □ 25* □ 26 □ 27-
ond include postage and
packing. Issue numbers not
listed on sold out.
'Asterisk denotes issues
with cover disk included.
§ fr^a-iii*. Q13 Q|| _ 15
■ SAVE MONfY: BUY IN BULK □ 21* □ 22 □ 23'
Any two issuts - £5
Any fen Imm - £7 Q 28 □ 29 Zl 30
| Any five issves -CIO
I □ BINDER £4.95 □ 35' □ 36* □ 37
I
Name
HUU1 Wj)*(tt MMMff«llltltff1(tttt*tlltH4lllflllltll
tMMMMflMfllMt
Post code
Telephone No
Method of payment (please circle) Access • Visa • Cheque • PO
□ 31- Q32- Q33* □ 34' Credit Card No Expiry Dale
-j 38 ;;: ble: £□□.□□ ^i
ure
tM*»tit*tMtttii»ntitf
»■••*•>••
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1 994
FIRS
computer centre (LEEDS)Tel:0532 3 1 9444
CD ROM Drives PRINTERS
COMPUTER CENTRE
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
OPiN MON . SAT 9.30AM.S.30PM
SUNDAY OPENING I I OOAM-1.00PM
THURSDAY NIGHT LATE...9.J0AM-7.30PM
OPEN HALF DAY MOST BANK HOLIDAYS
ELEPHONE LEEDS
24 HOUR MAIL ORDER SERVICE 6 LINES.'
0532 3 19444
FAX: 0532 3 I 91 91
SHOWROOM ADDRESS :
DEPT. AS, UNIT 3, ARMLEY
PARK COURT, OFF CECIL ST,
STANNINGLEY RD, LEEDS,
LSI2 2AE
HOW TO ORDER
Internal SCSI CD-ROM drives for the A 1 500/2000/4000
(with suitable SCSI Interface). All drives Include driver
software A will read both CDTV I CD32 A PC ISO 9600
standard disks. External kits for A3000alsoavallable
NECMultispin2Xl.ntem.i £194.99
•265M* Access Cimt •JSSKB transfer rate
TEACCD-SO.nfmaj £339.99
(Amiga I S04V20M co—pM»U aoly)
•320M» Acteu time •S0QKB tramfer rate
TOSHIBA XM340 1 ,„,.„*
' *2QOMs Access time •JJ0KB transfer rate
£321.99
TOSHIBA XM4I0!
•38SMs Access time +300KB transfer rate
lntemaJ.ni9.99Extemal.OM.99
Mit»uiniLU0005».ngicSp«d....£99.99
Mitsumi rX00 1 1 D Dual Spced.£ 1 69.99
Tandon IDE CD ROM Controller
for use with Mitsumi only ....£69.99
G VP A4008 SCSI controller* I 22.99
NEW! FIRSTcomm
Bulletin Board
rVhy not place your order* on our new ,
Bulletin board.
First Comm is however not just a
means of ordering, it also gives you
access to read or download technical
support files and advice.
Tel. 0532 637988
An Tl >[»t>niii A'i>i'i
card . Please make cheques payable to the:
"FIRST COMPUTER CENTRE"
In any correspondence please quote a
phone number & post code. Do not forget
to include the delivery tariff & Dept. code.
Allow 5 workingdays for cheque clearance.
•All prices include VAT @ 1 7.5%
• Large showroom with free parking
•Overseas orders taken
• Educational orders welcome
• Established Multi million pound company
UK MAINLAND
DELIVERY TARIFFS
•Standard Delivery £ 1 .50
• Guaranteed 2 to 3 day (-week days)
Delivery £2.95
•Guaranteed Next Day (week days)
Delivery £4.95
AMIGA REPAIRCENTRE
We offer a FREE quotation on your Amiga or any
peripheral (monitors, printers etc). A delivery tariff!
of Just £5.00 is charged or alternatively you can visit
our ihowroom, We can alio arrange a courier pickup
it an additional coit of t\ 1 .00.
(AS'
GY.UTMV £T
FROM MiJ. HI and the A
AUHLCL
FWST COMPUTER
CENTRE
Iftt Ma; ta*M the Mel I and Mow the tumoff *or|
Tor*. This w* meree w*h the Armley Oratory
rnaMMMf tn»u<m wffH lor the M43 1 (ifrwrt ciafor town
cMMnt T —* A44 ) Eland Ad tumoff from Mil I Fo*m «fm |
tmr Ml Th» nwrpt with *,/mt*» fjruory
from the. A I l*l>* **>• turnoff for the A44. This merges with ,
the ASS (by-putlnf Leeds town centre) which meets the ■
Armley jryratory. After "L/vmg World" at traffic light*!
takcartfht l>HMi|t«. a Ind left to get to FCC
Wordworth 2 & Print Manager. ...only £ 1 9.99
Deluxe Paint 4 AGA only £34.99 1
when you purchase any printer or Genlock
The AMIGA A I 200
A I 200 Standard pack only £259.99
Computer Combat pack only £334.99.'
RACE A CHASE pack only £289.99.'
rt* H4fwJ W»wi f I tvwj Trssii'
DESKTOP DYNAMITE pack
M»>Wan1si«r»MwA. r>M N«W 'Df<»&A D**M M OsstaV
only73T9.99
HARD DRIVE VERSIONS
STDpack R&Cpack D/Dpack
64Mb .£419.99 £4 J9. 99 £489.99
85Mb .£479.99 £489.99 £537.99
1 27Mb- £499.99 £519.99 £564.99
209Mb £569.99 £589.99 £629.99
THE CHAOS PACK!
•CHAOS ENGINE
• NICK FALDO CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF
• PIN8ALL FANTASIES
•SYNDICATE
only £29.99 or £ I 9.99
with Any AMIGA.'
The AMIGA 4000
A4O0Q/030. «0 Mb HD 11009. 99 1
A4O0O/030,! 30 Mb HD £1114.99
A4000/030.2I4 Mb HD- £1174.99
A4OOO/030.S40 Mb HD" £I449.99|
A4OO0/40
A40007040LO20MbMD* £1569.991
A4QOO/040LC,2l4MbHD £1614.99
A4000'040LC.$40MbHD" £1859 99J
A40OO/40 SCSI Tower
A40O0/040TW.2l4MbHD* £1959.991
A40O0/040TW.S2SMbHD* £2254.99
A4OOO/040TW.IGIGHD- £2549.99
AH the abort eumplei tome with t Mb of HAM n Standard
"The hard drive only t% not covered by on lite warranty |
■iViy n^M WWMaW.— Mf|i)iwe M »w f n. »ijbo|i
■"V> 1 " w*. any w ' w *J t KP» ew >W¥ — e 1 ■ tw*
A600& I200's 2.5" HD kits
We roc ommiMtd you confirm prices
before placing an order. E&OE.
B^ffl C C3
mkiVJklMSl < ^gp' 1 -^-
l\ surcharge on AMEX
•)um Add L 1 0.00 for fitting
60Mb....*£ 1 34.99 1 20Mb.. *£2 1 9.99
80Mb....*£l59.99 2S0Mb...*£309.99
3.S" H/drive upgrade kit no HD only £22.991
PRIMA AI200 REAL
TIME CLOCK
QM+*f*m* t1*jrtf.*i»-t »j4ewVsM*l* **m» HH t»T » M ,i 4 wrttti usssqhV^
Chech lor compatibility Only £13.99/
Allour printers arcUK spec, come
with ribbon/toner, printer drivers
(if available), paper & cables//
Canon
Canon BJ I Osx £ 1 82.99
Laser quality output. Large buffer
Canon BJ200 £23 1 .99
3 page a mln ipctftd. 340 dpi, small footprint A B0
page the4rtfe*<Jer
Canon BJ230 £3 1 9.99
wtdo cifTiAge version o( above
Canon BJ300 £4 1 9.9V
Desktop bubble jet with laser quality
Canon BJ330 £464.99
Wide carriage version of the BJ 1 00
Canon BJC600 Colour £532.99
new bubble jet from Canon
BJ 1 Autosheetfecdcr £49.99
NE ^ 'low T CITIZEN
rKllvCs? ^||
Citizen printers have a 2 year guarantee
New! ABC Colour printer £ 1 54.99
simple (as e*uy as ABC) to use 24 pin printer. Comet
as standard with 50 sheet Auto sheet feeder.
Tractor feed optional at * 1 7 t*
only 1 1 39 ff jf bought without the colour option
Swift 90 Colour £156.99
Excellent value t pin colour. Highly recommended
Swift 200 Colour £181. 99
Same out put as the 240 but with less facilities
Swift 240 Colour £218.99
24 pin. 240cps draft. 1 fonts, qutet mode. 240cp».
Projetll £254.99
new Inkjet printer with built In auto sheet feeder
Swift Auto Sheet feeder £79.99
VEM PACKARD
HP3IOPortable £229.99
NEW! HP 520 mono £249.991
HP500Colour £344.99
NEW! HP 560 Colour £499.99
even faster than the old HP550C//
All HP printers come with a 3 year warranty
NEW LOW
STAR PRICES
star
iifrTtn
LCI 00 colour £1 19.99
9 pin colour, 8 fonts. I 80 cps draft, 4S tps NLQ
StarLC24-IOO £126.99,
Star LC 24- 30 Col £199.99
complete with automatic sheet feeder. 1 92 cpt draft
Star LC24O00 Col £249,99
24 pin quality, 264 cps draft, 80 cps LQ. J*K buffer
expandlble to48K. I A fonts and quiet mode,
StarLC24-200colour £219.99
Colour version with )0K buffer expandable to 62K
Star SJ48 Bubble jet £209.99'
Laser quality, ultra quiet, Epion compatible & portable
Star SJ 1 44 Colour Thermal
Stunning affordable colour printer, J PPM, low running toft*
only £349.99
Star SJ48 Autosheet feeder
only £49.99
Univedrsal Printer Stand only £4.99
PRINTER CONSUMABLES
RIBBONS
CHfrenSwtft mono ribbon . i" 4.tt
Citizen Swift Colour ribbon - i ' ) *9
Star LC 1 0J 1 00 mono . U.»9
SurLClOOmono f 4.tt
Star LCI 0/1 00 colour 47.W
Star LC 200 coioor CI2.W
Star LC24-J0 mono «.»9
Star LC24-1(«00 Colour .«!!.•*
R^-Ink Spray for mono rifaboo*.,,,, 4 1 1.09
COVERS
Canon printer cover {please specify model) <5.99
CitixenSwiftyABC «.W
HP500/S50'SI0 -•*»
StarLCIOO/200 £S.t»
Star LC 2 4- 3 00' 30 tS.«9
Star LC 1 0/20 cover «4.?9
PAPER
|»Kn apply only when orderwd *rHh prtnte* <t* punluwd
-t ( team *• Uto-mom
Fanfold(tnsctorfeed) S00 she*ts I* 99
Fanfolu (tractor feed) 1000 sheets c8.99
Fanfold (tractor feed) 2000 sheets <> 7 99
Single sheet 500 sheets s4 99
Single sheet 1000 sheets 40.99
Single sheet 2000 sheets <• 7.99
nal far ■■ «ft#-t« 13 M e«M nwifrt
**UlMod*
*m
288
NEWSuperfaSt.' 28.800 bpi*M,400Fai
Phone for more details Only £299.99
I44LC
V.32 bis (1 4400 baud.')
Low cost version of the classk V32BH Fax modem.
Feature* ju below but clan I f«u only and LED duplay
only £159.99
This modem has full 14400 baud, includes V.32bis,
V,32, V,22bis p V22, V2l p MNP2-5, V,42, V42bis,
Class I A 2 commands. 9600' 1 4400 Croup 3 Fax
Includes free modem commi (not Fas)t/w ft cable
only £209.99
Svpr*FAX PIUS £119.99
Even faster than the standard 2400 from Supra with
auto dial A auto receive, 9600 bpt Haye* comp,
V228is f V42 Bis, MNP 2-5 ft auto adjust to maximise
transmission speeds* Includes free modem comms
(not Fax) s/w & cable.
♦
Suprm 2400 £64.99
Get on line using this great value fast modem with
auto dial ft receive. 2400 baud Hayes comp. V22
BIS. Includes free modtmcommii/wi cablelf
Supra modems .ire not BABT approved, however they
perform ai well & often out perform BABT approved
modems. Supra Modems have I S ye*ir limited warranty
QDhHRobotics
WE ARE PREFERRED USR DEALERS
Sportster 2496 +Fax £145.99
Sportster 1 4400 Fax L 1 89.99
WorldPortl4400*Fax £251.99
Courier HST ( 1 6.8) £469.99
j Courier V32bisTerbo+Fax £449.99
Courier HST/Dual 1 6.8 Fax £486.99
Courier HST/Dual l6.8TerboFax.£5S6.99
If you thought V32bls was fiut try the t#rt>ot They
come with a S year warranty <£ an BABT Approved '
MONITORS
All our monitors are UK spec. All monitors
come complete with a free Amiga lead*
Sharp TV/Monitor L I 84.99
includes remote control, stereo sound
Microvitec 14" Multisync
I year warranty tJVV.77
•free cable for A4000 only AI200 cable tt.Vf«fJM
NEW! Microvitec Autoscan 1 438
.20 dpi, I S'38 KHz. -all Amiga modes. AGA comp.
no audio, tilt ft swivell stand.
now only £289.99
NEW! Acorn AKF40 £249.99
Stereo, colour monitor with similar spec to the old
Philips 8833 and Commodore 1 084S. Includes
built in tilt and swivell »und.
PREMIER Ink
Cartridge* R- fills
Save a fortune in running costs with your ink/
bubble Jet. Compatible with the HPS00 SS0.
DeskJet Plus. Canon BJ 1 0/20/80' 1 30/ 200/30Q/330.
Star SJ48, Citizen Projet and many others. Full
range of colours available.
tt*it'ii* ifititttiitftnii
Single refills (22ml)
Twin refills (44ml )-
Three colour kit (66ml)
Full colour kit (BBml)
Bulk refills (I 25 ml)
CirtridgM
Canon BJ 1 cartridge
Double life 500 cartridges
HPS50/500 Colour cartridge
Star SJ 43 cartridge
Star SJH4 cartridge (pack of 3)
StarSJ 144 mono cartridges (3 pack)
Star SJ 1 44 colour cartridges (3 pack)
Hiscllancou*
Printer Switch Box 2 way
Printer Switch Bon 3 way
Printer Stands(Unlvenal)
3 Metre printer cable
5 Metre printer cabl*
1 metre printer cable
...*:6.99
L\ 2.9V
C\y
127- \7
424 99
..£18.9*
..£24.99
„£24.99
..£18-99
..£42.99
..£21.99
.£2L99
PRIMAA500&A600RAM SPECIAL OFFERS.' I ROMBO PRODUCTS
3 YEAR WARRANTY//
A500 5l2kRAM
expansion (no clock). £ 1 9.99
A500 Plus I Mb RAM
expansion £34.99
A600 I Mb RAM expansion
(with clock) £39.99
1 MhSIMM 1J9.9
2 Mh SIMM 195.99
4 Mb SIMM £152.99
8 Mb SIMM £309.99
Directory Opus 4.
Distant Sunt 5~*_*
X S 1 . 91
as.n
XCopy Pro plus hardware MWW .»i .
Technosound Turbo i 1 1. ft
Techno. ou mi Turbo 2 t2S 99
Wordworth I AGA with Print Mgrf XU 99
Deluxe Paint 4 AGA... „„™ XI* 11
•
Frame Machine (one only) M — ..,.XtT1 *f
VWfoD»fKtOf2(Dfwonly) « Jt W
WorWbenth 2-04 software and ROM upgrade
(complete with manuals)
only 149 99
♦
Roboshlft automatic mouse/Joystick twitch
*T ill 1 * 9* with mouse emulation
and rapid fire push on modules
RAM & CUSTOM CHIPS
•.pffd
PI.CC PGA
25Mhz
33Mhz
SOMhz
£53.99
£71.99
N A
£69.99
£9199
£137.99
The smiling new
SaphKi cablet for the
mlfi developed with
the help ©J first
Computer! I4\ rated
m 5T Format Juuury
•uue! R«}um 104 WB|
or above
only £54.99
I mb by 8/9 SIMMS (I Mb) .£34.99
A Ml, by 9 SIMMS (4 Mb) .£144.991
I Mb by 4 DRAMS( I Mb) .£39.99
I Mb by 4 ZIPS( 1 17 Mb) £22.99
256by4ZIPS (each)£5.99
256 by 4 DRAM (DIU) (each)£5.99
DKB 1 202 A 1 200 RAM board .£84.99
takes 2 32 bit SIMM*. Hu an optional FPU. See
above for prices
Kirkftart 1 .3 X 1 9.99
Kn.kiunZ.tM £24.99
Kkkstart 2.05 (for use in A600)...£26.99
Fatter Agnes 83 72 A. .£26.99
Super Denise i 1 8.99
6S7 1 -0326 Keyboard controller.* I 3.99
CIA 8S20A I/O controller .,...,.,£8.99 1
AMIGA 1 200 RAM
HAWK CO-PR & RAM
Rraine the full potential of your A I 200 wlth|
jthn trapdoor expansion, inc real time clock
1 MB RAM £98.99
2 MB RAM £134.991
4 MB RAM £198.99
8 MB RAM £394.991
1 MB & 20 MHz CO PRO....£ 147.99
2 MB & 33 MHz CO PRO....£ I 98.99
4 MB & 40 MHz CO PRO. ...£294. 99
8MB & 40 MHzCO PRO. ...£494. 99
FULL 2 YEAR WARRANTY
SUPRAA500 RAM
; Simp** (S* t»*ii* Ftt» onto the? itaf* *iptf>mKin junt Auto < i>r*flf\j*n w\\h no
toff v*t«* p4«htn|.
8Mb pop to 2 Mb {154.44
8Mb pop to 4 Mb « 1 4.44
Mb pop to ■ Mb ill* ft
[8Mb pop to 2 Mb for 2000/ 1 500 ranted 1 44 44
GVP PRODUCTS
A I 200 Product*
J3 Mhx 66M2 for A 1 200 SCSI/RAM
E item*! SCSI kit SCSURAM..... .
jfn •«
NEW. A 1 230 MK II Accelerator Board
SCANNERS
Alfa Data Alfa Scan
I hand held scanner with 256 grayscales and up to 800
| Dpi
only £114.99
Or £ I 39.99 wKh OCR software
Alfa Data Alfa Colour Scan
1 1 bit scanner with 256K colour* Inc colour correction
only £329.99
Power Scanner V4 £119.99
With the Latest vrraton 4 s/w for bright 4 sharp jrey stale
performance. FleilWe scanned image display manipulation
| options, plus Clean up, embolden, resize & flip
Colour version only £239.99
EPSON GT6S00 Colour Flatbed
Only £587. SO phone for detail*
Art Department Pro Scanner S/W..£ 1 09.99
compatible with Epson ES300C, ES600C.
ESS00C, GT4000, GT650O A GT8000
MICE&TRACKERBALLS
Alpha Data Mega Mouse 90% rating. 290
Dpi £ I 0.99 Or £ I 2.99 for 400 Dpi version
DATALUX CLEAR MOUSE hi.*
quality clear 2 button moun* L I V.T V
Zydec Trackball £29.99
Golden Image Trackbail.£37.99
DISK DRIVES
NEW! Golden Image drive with
LCD track display ... .only £49.99
NEW!
AMITEC
lmb3.5 M !
drive
Features Antl Click,
Anti Virus, Sony Mech,
2 vear warranty
only £58.99
Speed
RAM
FPU
Cost
40
{244.99
40
4
4417.99
40
4
40
CS3S.99
40
•
{434.99
SO
£369.99
to
4
{$64.99
10
M
4
t
so
V
4644 99
IVJ4 99
•V * rf r * ¥ ¥
A 1 500/2000/4000 Products
Cumana3.S" only £56.99
I meg external drive- The bett name in disc drive*
A600/ 1 200 internal drive CS3.99
AS00 internal drive £49.99
A4000 internal HDdrlve £99.99
GENLOCKS
VIDI 12 Real Time £ I 34.99
Real time colour digitizing from any video
fource. Full AGA lupport
VIDI 24 Real Time £223.99
24 bit quality real time colour digitizing from
any video tource. Full AGA support
VIDI 12 AGA £70.99 |
Full support for AGA chlpiet. Colour Images
captured In Icu than a second, mono Images :
In real time with any video source.
Multitasking s/w, cut A paste.
VIDI 1 2 Sound & Vision AGA
with built In M^iimlxMaiter £98.99
TAKE 2 £35.99
Features Include load and save from D Paint
animations and IFF flies. Supports HAM graphics.
Megamix Master £26.99
8 hit, high ip*M. skimpier. Special effects Include
echo that can be added In real time, fully multtt«uldng
A rm\f to use.
ACCELERATORS
MICROBOTICS
MUX I 2007. with 70 MHi FPU £89.99
MUX I200Z with $0 MHz FPU 4214.99
expendible to • Mb 12 Bit RAM (see RAM prices)
New M I HO for A 1 200 withue to I 21 Mb foit RAM.'
MIJJOXAllMM.OMb (245.. 44
Mll30XA40Mhi.0Mh £244.99
MinOXASOMhi.OMb 034.99
VXL JO 2 5 Mh/ (for AS00) { 1 14.49
VXL 30 40Mhi {*«r A 500) (259.44
VXL 2 Mb Ham loard (for A500t II M.N
. -p.ndlble to ■ Mb 12 Bit RAM (see RAM prices)
SUPRA 28 ACCELERATOR
for the AS00/AS00+& A I 500/2000
21 Mhx, uses AS00 side port so there Is no
Internal fitting
only £144.99!
PRIMA ROM SHARERS
This high quality ROM sharer features a flexible
ribbon connection so that it can be positioned
an>rwhere within your A500 Plus or A600 Full 2
year replacement warranty
now only £ 1 7.99 or £24.99
for k eyboa rd switchable version
ACCESSORIES
Real Ttme A 1 200 interna] clock module. .-only{l3.99
M on »r.' joystick manual port switcher. ... —only { 1 1.99
Computer Video Sort Switch ,/>nry{l9.99
2/1/4 way Parallel port sharers £POA
Amiga Sound Enhancer Plus by Omega Protect*. Hear th«
Amlga'a «ound like you'vr never heard k before! „„^36 99
QUAUTY MOUSE MATS, /3.99
10 CAPACITY DISK BOX _™_*0.99
20 CAPACITY DISK BOX £2.99
40 CAP LOCKABLE DISK BOX j£)99
100 CAP LOCKABLE DISK BOX Z5.49
•90 CAP STACKABLE BANX BOX £9.99
•ISO CAP STACKABLE POSSO BOX £17.99
*a44 0J4aet^7»painaee|MflW > oetoortefntoLNofTi%al
deeverr w»ien purtbaiad e*di elbar prodact or etwn keyWg 1 or men.)
AMIGA AS00 DUST COVER. jtJ.99
AMIGA 600COVER /2.99
14" MONITOR ruiCTrovgp „ , , it, qo
NEWTKeyboardMembraneCovert.. £14.45
AMIGA TO SCART CABLES _.U9 99
STD I.S METRE AMIGA PRINTER LEAD.^4 99
MODEM AND NULL MODEM CABLES...../9.99
AMIGA CONTROL STATIONS
AS 00 or I 200 VERSION £36.99
A400 virion zieoe
HC»*'0Mb drive.
.....^122.99
HC8»'42MbdHve £197.99
HD8*>l20Mbdrive .£299.99
PC2$4EmulatorforMD8+/AS30 X49.99
G-Force03040Mhi4MbRAM £S4999
Hard Drive mounting kit lor G- Force X 3 4. 99
GVPSimrm
1Mb £44.99
4 Mb £ 1 94.99
I 291 SCSI Module for A 1 200 .£79.99|
Miscellaneous Hardware
CDRomAml|aA)70 only tVb.YV:
T«»tw rour *f»f> 100 Intn • COTV bxtudw Fratf f MM COeO «»* • Sk" Ot» I
XDS Data flyer E.ternaJ Hard drtve kit jt»4.49
DKB Mega Chip II < 2Mb chip RAM) £ 1 49 99 |
f.r * 2 Mb o< chtp mtmorr on AS0* A I SOfrlOOO
ROCHARD DRIVES from £2 1 4 99 (42Mb)
for the A50O/A50O*
take* «tantlard IDE hard drives, expandable to 8Mb |
llflnB I Mh «IMMC. hu PCU A in.talUtion M ftwar«
BH (vBa IJJEl S\\m [victeol MS
hama on demo now*
The Professional answer
hama 292 £269.99
S -V.dro, and com pout* compatible
hama 290 £674.99
S-Vld**o t and composite mixing, plus 1*r more
GVP Genlock only £289.99
feature* professional SVMS output
Rocgen Plus only £152.99
Includes dual control for overlay and keyhole ef-
fects* extra RGB pus thru*
Rendale 8802 FMC.only £164.99
Rocgen Rockey only L I 52.99
For creating special effects In video
production with genlocks.
DISKS
All ditkl are 1 00\ error free guaranteed
New High density 3.5 inch bulk and branded
Please phone for best prices!
QTYJBulkDS/DD
Branded DS/DD
10
£4.49
£5.49
30
£12.99
£14.99
50
£20.99
£22.99
100
£37.99
£42.99
200
£69.99
£79.99
500
£168.99
£190.99
1000
£324.99
f 165.99
Branded disks come complete with labels
Disk Labels....500 £6.99
Disk Labels.. 1 000 £9.99
BUSINESS
Mttxi Plan * .
MiiuOffk*-
Money Mattel \ .«.„
.12499
ni.w
MISCELLANEOUS
Ontant Sot* S.
X CAD 2000
XCAD 1000
ii'. 94
.,i»7 44
<2I4M
MUSIC/SOUND
Clarity 1 4 tarn pier —■■_—,—
Deluxe Muvc Conicrucbon Sri v |
Pro Hidi interface by Mkrodeal
ft OS 44
tS».t4
4J4 44
Techno Sound Turbo-.„
Techno Sound Turbo 2 ^_™
a 14.4*
.IIS. 44
PROGRAMMING
Amoa ID ___^
A mm rmeaWw*
Amoa Proeeaeaonal Compter
BUi(Ua*i2
Devp«3
Easy AMOS ..__
SASCVemon4 S.
'♦'■■■-■
4.44
_ai.N
-42S44
447 44
.124 44
l\t 49
^099
4 94
IH4V9
PUBLIC DOMAIN Top SO
from £ I. SO! (many more itJes o.o.(oW»)
IPDAOOI) I disktl SO
PDAOOJjIdlikH SO
Ami Bate Prov 1 .1
DhkSalvV2
D-CopyV)
CdwordProV4..
EasyCakP
Fairkfht Virtual Dreamt
Grapevine 1 7.— _______
■Jetokkfcl.J .
KlondyheACA
Last Stand in Hoth....
(PDA004)ldt»k(l SO
(PDAOOS)ldHktl SO
(PDAOOo)l d-tkH SO
(PDA008) I diakti SO
(PDA009)3d»k( - 'S
(PDA01 I) I ditk.
(PDAOI3)3dltk«:2 75
(PDAOI4)4dbkl) SO
(PDA01S) I disk* i SO
)PDAOI6)2di»ki^ 2S
(PDAOI7)ld*fk<l SO
(PDA0I8)I d>tk>> SO
(PDAOI9)lditkU SO
(PDA023)ldltk*i SO
(PDA027) I dl*k< I SO
(PDA028) I disk* I SO
<PDA029)ldiskti SO
IPDA030)2dMt<2 2S
(PDA03J)2di»k-
(PDA036)3ddkU 7S
(PDA034)2dWti2 2S
(PDA009) I dl*k' i SO
CD Wan.. (PDA039) I dbk<l SO
Mindwarp AGA Oe~iO_...
Motorola mvao>rt AGA...— ..
Mapc Worttbawh Uofc____.
PeeM of Sale Demo I 200 only
PC Task Emulator _. .
RcorgV3.l
Spectrum Emulator version I.'
Spectrum Game* Dnt-
TRSIMKeryDemo
*M4*' K fp
4 f-inrers Have Demo_____
Mean CD Machine. .._____.
fftChi»2
Thr Mini AGA...
'
(POA024) I disk' l
(POAOll)ldM(c i SO
(PDA0l2)2dl»kU 2S
(PDA040) I disk' I SO
(PDA04l)1dltk<I.S0
(PDA002)ldl»k. : <0
(PDACOI)ldlak(- 1 SO
(PDAC02)ldW*il SO
(PDAC03>ldkk' t SO
(PDAC04)ldHkii SO
(PDAC05)ldl»kn SO
(PDAC06)ldWttl.SO
(PDAC07>ldHkn .SO
(PDAC08)ldlikcl SO
(POAC04)ldtskll SO
(POACIO)ldrtkM SO
(POACII)ldiskO SO
(PDAC2S)IOdnk) i I SO
(PDACDI)ldhktl SO
CD ROM Bonus Utih (PDACD2) I dtaki ISO
MegaballAGA (PDA0S0) I dilkil SO
ReveUttonsSUdeshow , (PDA020) I dltkt I SO
MhyMc-pt. (PDAOSI)ldHkil SO
Find.t.. (PDA0S2)ldi»ktl SO
Fim fonts D.»fc I (PDAFOI)ldeikt2 SO
F.r^tFonvaDHk2 (PDAF02) I dedc£2 SO
First Fonts Dnk 3 (P0AFO3) I dbkU SO
UTILITIES
State of the Art.
| Andys Workbench 3 UtO». .
OaiertOr— r m Oe— w>...
OneinCon^p 1 ** _— —
Ra r World AGA Demo
CLI/SHELLHelp.
Clip Art I MacArt..
CNpa-2-M*cArt.
Ckpan 3 ■ M*cArt
Capart4-Food
QNp«VT S ■ rood...*<.
CkfMrt4*Sm«rl
C Itpart7- Xmu. „— . — .
C hp.irtS C'MtiKt
0^*rt9 Gd>rAekl
Clipetrt 10 VW
ChfAVtll
AmtbackToo^
Af?Mbeck Pk*i
174. ff
iU.tt
£4999
Qi^f-t^i+.arWVA ^f>eyf , ,__,_ ri]9f
Latest version of this FeUt& Famous HD backup utility.
Prima A600/ IJ00 H*ird Drive tetup software This it
GPFAXUioftware.
th4?bMt!
Quai\rterb^< i 4?Took , ■■■-,———-
QuartertoAck ToohDfluxe
Xcopy Pro* r4c heard**/*-*?
Onthrmiritrt
£S4t9
.i*4ff
VIDEO ANDGRAPHICS
^
[ni
♦iptPro2.5._*a„
Art Ovpartn-ent Scanrter *ofy war*
.talkance Pro. punt and ininv*, K .
CaJigari 24 ID D^t*ijn airxl 4V^mait*oo
Deluxe Paint )
Deluxe Paint 4 AGA.
M»kePatfiforV,«ta-,.
ItoallDGi
* ■ ■ ■ ■
.. .{1419*
...{I 14 99
*l 1994
(4444
.( I 2 44
.04 44
..{2S.44
....477 44
.{314 94
(44 44
4I1S.44
....{44,44
Real3DV2
ScenaryAn*matorV4(3Mbnao>*<J> _
Video Master ...
Vista Pro 3 (4Mb required) -____ MS 44
WORD PROCESSING/DTP
FiniiCopr2(UK)«eJeaieJ only!4444
buiK in outline font*, foil graphics import (IFF and
HAM). UK thesaurus, spelling checker eV much more.
ia-u w-i- nT> wrwi ( it 94
Penpal ' * ... _______ 424 44
Best selltng feature packed word publisher with database
Peajeetreani 2. 2 U.K. version 1.44.44
Paayaecream ) UK version — {344.99
Pagesetter( <42.99
Pro Page V4 ' 1 09 99
ProPej* V4 A PrwOre- J £ 1 19 94
Protect 4 J W/P {J9.99
ProwrK*j.3NEW! MS 99
W. .rdworth 2 AGA mt Pnet M r Sp*<lal lowprtcmU 79 99
W«»rrtworth I Nf W * I (I ; 44
66 SUBSCRIPTIONS
WAYS
AMIGA
Subscribe
Reserve it at
your newsagents
(see p98)
Take a chance
Don't take a
chance... take our
advice
Subs€ribel
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
SUBSCRIPTIONS 67
Subscribe
and save
yourself
£ffs
• You get a whopping 1 4
issues for the price of 1 2 -
just £30 in the UK
• You pay no extra for
higher-priced issues with
special covermounts
Pay by direct debit and
save a further £3
• Get a an Amiga Shopper
binder, worth £4.95, for
absolutely nothing.
You'll also be guaranteed
your fix of hardcore Amiga
info every month, delivered
direct to your door - no more
waiting in line at the
newsagents PLUS each month
you'll receive a special
subscriber's letter, straight
from the editor's desk.
•/
SUBSCRIBE NOW
RING THE HOTLINE ON 0225 82251 1
Please cut out and send to
Amiga Shopper subscriptions, Future Publishing,
FREEPOST, Somerton, Somerset TA11 7BR. (No stamp
required.)
Yes! I would like to subscribe to Amiga Shopper f or
14 issues and receive my free binder (worth £4.95).
(Please tick one box only)
r~j UK direct debit £27 (Complete the form below)
| | UK subscription £30
I J European Community subscription £40
| | Rest of World subscription £57
SUBSCRIBE USING
THE DIRECT DEBIT
FORM BELOW AND
SAVE £3
Please debit my Visa/Mastercard with £ or
I enclose a cheque payable to Future Publishing for £
(cheque must be in Sterling drawn on a UK bank account)
Signed Date
Card No
Expiry date
Name
Address
Postcode
Offer expires 15th July 1994
AS/SC/7/94
DIRECT DEBIT INSTRUCTIONS Originators ID: 930763
This card instructs your bank or building society to
make payments direct from your account. Please
complete both the forma above, and all five items
on this form, which we will forward to your bank.
The amount, as shown above, will be taken from
your bank account at the start of your subscription.
{Bonh& on0 Ow&nc societies may refuse to occeot instructions to
ftjy direct dcMs from some types of accounts, j
1. Please write the full address of your branch
2. Account no
3. Sort code
4. Account In the name of:
DC
□r
To: The Manager
Bank/Building Soc.
Instructions to bank/building society
- 1 instruct you to pay direct debits from my account at the
request of Future Publishing Ltd.
- The amounts are variable and may be debited on various
dates. I understand that Future Publishing Ltd may change
the amounts and dates only after giving me prior notice.
- 1 will inform you in wnttng if I wish to cancel this instruction.
- 1 understand tfiat if any direct debit is paid wh»ch breaks
the terms of this instruction, you will make a refund.
5. Signed Date
» .
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
68 COMMS
This month our comms expert and infamous "Netsurfer'
Dave Winder tells you exactly how to make the most of
the Internet by downloading files, for free!
If you'vo boon reading Amiga Shopper during
tne last few months; Indeed If you've been
reading the more Intelligent of newspapers,
listening to the radio, or watching the television,
then you can't have failed to have come across
the Internet. The Internet Is a network of
computer networks. It is a world of vast
information resources; a world where there are no
boundaries; a world at your fingertips. Yep, you've
guessed It; I'm an Internet fan.
There are files of just about any and every
description on the Net; files for just about every
computing platform, including the Amiga. Many are
available to anyone who has Internet access, using
a system by the name of "anonymous ftp". The
term ftp refers to the Internet's "File Transfer
Protocol," a method that allows files to be
transferred between the multitude of computer
networks that comprise the Net. It really doesn't
matter whereabouts in the world the two computer
systems are located; providing they are both on the
Internet and can use the ftp protocol, then you can
move files between them. In practice this means
that you can download a file from a computer in the
heart of America just as easily as if it was sitting in
the next room to yours! Many sites on the Net
allow anyone access to their file areas, and this
facility is known as "anonymous ftp," referring to
the fact that an account with that site isn't required
to get to files that are held there.
GETTING STARTED
OK, assuming that you have Internet access (and
you won't get anywhere without that), the first thing
you will need is a site to actually connect to. This
site needs to offer two things: firstly, files that are
going to be of interest to you; and secondly, an
anonymous ftp facility. I'll use a real life example
as a tutorial. In my examples we'll be visiting a site
JARGON BUSTING
Internet - a worldwide network of computer
networks.
The Net - another word for the Internet.
FTP - the file transfer protocol used for moving
files across the Internet.
Site - any one of the networks that make up the
Internet.
Server - a computer that allows other
computers to use it by means of client
software.
Client - an application that extracts information
from a server on your behalf.
UNIX - an operating system commonly used
across the Internet.
uuencode - a method of converting a binary file
into text format so that it can be sent by email.
which has the address of wuarchive.wustl.edu and
contains all the best in Amiga PD software.
Commands that you should type are enclosed in
quotation marks. Ignore these * ' marks, and just
use the commands that are enclosed within them.
Responses from the remote ftp site are shown in
the courier bold typeface. The files I'm going to
be downloading, are the Amiga implementation of
the Mosaic World Wide Web browser.
To connect to the site, you need to type "ftp
wuarchive.wustl.edu". Within a few seconds you'll
get the response: Connected to wuarchive.
wustl.eduwuarchive.wustl.edu FTP server
(version number and date) ready.
You will then be prompted with Name: . To
which you should reply "anonymous". The response
will then be Guest login OK, send your
complete e-mail address as password.
Password:
At the password prompt, type in your full e-mail
address. This isn't strictly necessary to gain
access to an anonymous ftp site, but is a common
courtesy so the system administrators can see who
has been using their system. At the password
prompt I would type: "dwindera@cix.
compulink.co.uk". If this is accepted OK. you
should see the ftp prompt which will look like this:
£tp>
You will also be presented with some helpful
information. When I connected to wuarchive for this
example, I got the following:
If your FTP client crashes or hangs
shortly after login please try using a
dash {-) as the first cha r acter of your
password. This will turn off the
informational messages that may be
confusing your FTP client.
This system may be used 24 hours a day,
7 days a week. The local time is Fri Apr
15 13:31:04 1994.
You are user number 112 out of a
possible 175.
All transfers to and from wuarchive are
logged. If you don't like this then
disconnect now!
Wuarchive is currently a DEC Alpha AXP
3000, Model 400. Thanks to Digital
Equipment Corporation for their generous
support of wuarchive.
Please read the file README
Please read the file README. NFS
Guest login OK, access restrictions
apply.
Remote system type is UNIX. Using binary
mode to transfer files.
When a system tells you that "access
restnction apply" this usually means that you can
only access certain directories (most commonly the
"pub" or "public* directory). The last line of that
information page is important: it informs you that
binary mode is being used to transfer files. This is
what you need to be able to successfully download
any binary file (a graphics or program file or a file
that has been archived for example), so if this were
to say that ascii mode was being used, you would
need to change this. For details on how to do this
see the ftp commands box out.
Next step in getting our file is finding the
directory where it is held. Most publicly accessibly
files are kept in a directory called "pub". To see
where you are in the directory structure of the ftp
site, you need to type: "dir".
This will result in the following response in our
example, from which I have removed some
information which is of little consequence to us
and gives information about the status of the
directories. The important information that we want
to see is what the directories are:
PORT command successful.
Opening ASCII mode data connection for
/bin/Is. total 135
792 Mar 13 21:01 .Links
143 Feb 3 16:29 .about.html
Nov 28 1990 .notar
8192 Jan 14 18:36 .tafls
2928 May 17 1993 README
1723 Jun 29 1993 README.NFS8192 Mar 31
15:44 bin
8192 Mar 31 07:17 decus8192 Feb 7 14:43
doc
8192 Jan 19 17:13 edu
8192 Apr 17 13:25 etc
8192 Jan 20 15:27 graphics
8192 Apr 17 04:22 info
8192 Mar 30 18:46 languages
8192 Apr 6 07:46 mirrors
8192 Jan 15 18:39 multimedia
8192 Mar 24 10:26 packages*
8192 Mar 8 08:27 private
8192 Apr 17 12:41 pub8192 Apr 6 07:46
systems
8192 Mar 8 09:20 usenet*
226 Transfer complete.
As you can see, there are a whole load of
directories and you need to get into just one of
them. To do this you need to use the *cd"
command to change directory. So back at the f tp>
prompt you should type: "cd pub'. This will result
in a response of: All transfers to wuarchive
are logged. CWD command successful.
Then, to make sure you have arrived at the
right destination directory type, once again: "dir".
You will then see a listing of more sub-directories,
which will look like the following, which have once
again had the directory status information removed
to save space here:
PORT command successful.
Opening ASCII mode data connection for
/bin/Is. total 71
995 Apr 12 19:51 .cache
4480 Apr 12 19:36 .cachet
39 Jan 21 1993 .message
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
COMMS 69
8193 Apr 17 12(42 MSDOSJJPLOADS
8192 Apr 13 07:49 Movies
8192 Apr 6 07:44 VMS
23 Jan 29 12:11 aminet ->
. . /aystams/amiga/aminet
0122 Apr 6 18 i lb baseball
22 Jaa 29 12; 11 boing ->
. . /Bystems/amlga/botna
8192 Apr 5 12:19 frontier magazine
8192 Mar 30 12:03 mplan2
13 Apr 17 12:12 msdos_uploads ->
MSDOB UPLOADS
8192 Apr 14 10:44 obflb
8192 Apr 9 10:03 urantia#
226 Tranatar eomplara.
From here you have to move through the directory
structure further, and this is a boring but necessary
evil, to the "aminet" directory by typing: "cd
aminet"
A further issuing of the "dir" command will
show us the sub-directories available in the aminet
parent directory, which are:
29 Jan 20 07:33 .forward
272 Mar 7 20:20. message
113 Apr 16 21:01 .names
877 Apr 10 23:35 CHARTS
484293 Apr 16 23:57 INDEX
210525 Apr 16 23:57 INDEX. Z
13319 Apr 4 16:45 README
7504 Apr 16 23:46 RECENT
44*59 Apr 16 23:47 RECENT. Z
5113 Apr 17 00! 13 TREE
8192 Jan 18 12:59 biz
8192 Jan 18 12:58 comm
8192 Jan 18 12:58 demo
8192 Jan 18 12:59 dev
8192 Jan 18 12:58 disk
8192 Apr 17 02:52 docs
8192 Mar 23 12:57 fish*
8192 Mar 25 21:25 game
8192 Mar 25 21:26 gfx
There are lots of extremely
unusual files to be found on the
Net, all available for FTP. You
just need to know where to look
really. So if you are feeling
distinctly teapot, why not try these for size.
Use the login of "anonymous" when prompted
for each of these sites.
• FTP to cs.dartmouth.edu
A large selection of files about bagpipes can be
found in pub/bagpipes/*
• FTP to piggy.cogscf.indlana.edu
You can find files relating to Juggling in
pub/Juggling/*
• FTP to sapphtre.epcc.ed.ac.uk
You will find a treasure trove of files
concerning King Arthur and the Knights of the
Round Table in pub/camelot/ '
• FTP to nstn.ns.cn
Go to listserv/origaml-l/* and find out how to
make a life-like budgie from a piece of toilet
paper.
• FTP to nlc.funet.fi
Hood otrolght for pub/ doc/mall/stamps/*
where you will find a fascinating list of
European Postal Codes.
FTP COMMANDS append ' append to a file
ascli sat transfer type to ascii
If you simply type "help" at the bell set to beep when command Is completed
ftp> prompt, K will return a list of binary set transfer type to binary
all the commands that are cd change remote working directory
available. To make things that cdup change remote working directory to its parent
little bit simpler for you, as the dir list contents of a remote directory
nice guy I am, I have produced a get receive file
list of the most useful and Idle set Idle timer of remote site
common of them for your Is list contents of remote directory
perusal: mode set file transfer mode
quit terminate ftp session and exit
send send a file
size show size of a remote file
9tatus show current status
? print local help information
9192 Joa 18 12:56 hard
8192 Jan 18 13:02 info
243059 Apr 16 21:35 ls-lR.Z
8192 Mar 15 21:09 misc
8192 Mar 25 22:03 mods
8192 Jan 18 12:59 dub
24576 Apr 17 11:00 new
8192 Mar 25 21:31 pix
8192 Apr 17 12:01 priv 8192 Apr 1 19:10
t«« 8192 Mar 25 21:34 util
As I Know the file for our example is kept tn the
comm directory, the next step is to move by typing:
"cd comm". A further directory listing will then
display a further set of subdirectories, including
one named "net* which is where our example file is
kept. So one last directory move is required, which
is achieved by typing: "cd net".
Finally, you are at the place where the file we
want is stored. Of course, if you knew the directory
path already you could simply have typed the
following command to get straight here: "cd
pub/aminet/comm/net".
A final directory listing will display details,
including file sizes and date of uploading, of all the
files kept there. The complete listing is far too
big to print here, but here is an extract showing
that the Mosaic archives are, indeed, where they
should be.
219606 Jan 19 18:16 Mosaic. l._ AS225. lha
902 Jan 19 18:16 Mosaicl . 1 AS225. readme
217840 Jan 19 18:16 Mosaicl. l_AmiTCP. lha
857 Jan 19 18:16 Mosaicl. l_AmiTCP. readme
220028 Jan 19 18:16 Mosaicl. l.NoNet . lha
995 Jan 19 18:17 Mosaicl. l^NoNet .readme
Now to download those files. To get the first of
the Mosaic files you would type: "get
Mosaic. 1.AS225. lha'.
Once the binary transfer has started you will
see a display of hashes (that's the # character and
not a shipment of illegal drugs) which slowly fill the
screen, each hashmark representing IK of data
transferred. When the transfer is complete you will
return to the ftp> prompt. When you have
transferred all the files you need you terminate the
session to the remote ftp site by typing: "quit".
You will now be back at your local Internet
service provider. Depending on the type of service
provider you are using, the files will either have
been transferred directly to your own computer or
may be waiting in your local directory at the service
provider. In the latter case you can see if the files
are there by typing: "dir".
Having established thai the file or files are
there, use the send command to transfer them on
the final leg of the journey, to your own computer.
To do this type: -send Mosaic. 1_AS225. lha-.
MY BEST TIP
If you are a member of CIX you can
save a lot of time and money by
using the new BATCHFTP facility.
You can ask CIX to go and get the
files you want to FTP while you go away and
make a cup of tea. without being connected to
the system and paying charges. This is how it
works:
Say you wanted to get a file which you
know is called teapot. lha and is stored at the
ftp site of waving.david.co.uk (I have, for the
benefit of any mind-numbingly slow readers,
made up this address so don't bother trying it)
in the pub/looney directory, then you would
just type the following command at the CIX
IP> prompt:
BATCHFTP waving.david.co.uk
/pub/ loony/teapot . lha
Disconnect from CIX, or go and do
something more interesting, then a while later
(maybe as much as an hour, as it can take
some time for these requests to be completed)
go back to the IP> prompt and type:
BATCHFTP GET
This command will go and get any files that
are sitting in your BATCHFTP directory, and
send them to you using your default download
transfer protocol. After the files have been
successfully downloaded they will be
automatically erased from the directory so
they won't be picked up and downloaded again
next time.
You'll then have a copy of the file on Amiga!
You can use the ftp facility even if you don't have
an Internet connection. To do this you use what is
known as ftpmail. It's not as simple: you need to
know the filename and the directory path of where
it is stored. You will also need a utility to deal with
uuencoded files, available from most BBSs and of
course by ftp! The files are sent by electronic mail,
and are converted to an ASCII format using the
uuencode program. There is an ftpmail server in
the UK at doc.ic.ac.uk, and to get the Mosaic file
as used previously you would send email as
the following:
To: ftpmaiiedoc.ic.ac.uk
Message text: open wuarchive.wustl.edu
anonymous <your email address>
chdir pub/aminet/comm/net
get Mosaic. 1_AS225. lha
quit ©
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
70 AMIGA DOS
Startup-sequences are the bane of the new Amiga user's
life. As Mark Smiddy explains, a little knowledge is all
you need to get on the right side of starting the machine.
BEGINNERS START
HERE: ACCESSING
AMIGADOS
How do I get started?
The first and most important operation is to
make a backup of your Workbench disk, and I
cannot stress this enough. While I was tutoring
someone recently, a bug in Workbench 2's ED
deleted the some essential software from a
client's disk right in front of them.
Embarrassing? Certainly, but had that not been
a backup it would have been a disaster, and if it
can happen to me...
What next?
If you intend to make any use of AmigaDOS in
the future, you should make a new copy of
Workbench and work on that. Boot from the
copy and locate the Shell icon - it's in the
system drawer. Now select Shell and use
"Leave Out". This will ensure it's always there
at the ready. Shell is a window on AmigaDOS
and much more versatile than Workbench's
"Execute Command".
Open the Shell and you will be presented
with a window (called a Console or Virtual
Terminal) and a message like this:
New Shell process 1
l.Workbench3>
The Shell process number can be just about
anything - but in most cases you will start with
Shell 1 (the actual number is arbitrary and need
not concern you at this stage). Following that is
a prompt made up from the current process
number and current directory. These are
AmigaDOS specifics that can change from
machine to machine - so in this series I've
adopted a universal prompt:
i>
Unless stated otherwise, you only enter the text
after this. In all cases, when a prompt is shown,
this is something you can enter in a Shell
window, other text 15 either an AmigaDOS
response, or something you enter from a text
editor. The meaning of this will become clear
later. As long as you always keep a backup of
the original Workbench disk, nothing can do any
permanent damage.
If you have access to a modem, you can
download SeaShell from the Amiga Shopper
conference on CIX. It's a special protected
version of the standard Shell, written with
AmigaDOS commands, that offers a protected
environment for experimentation. seaStieti
tracks many AmigaDOS errors and gives extra
help with command syntax.
If you are a relative newcomer to the Amiga,
you probably think Workbench is something
that just magically appears when you boot
certain disks. If you still have a single drive
system, you'll also have noticed that the machine
constantly seems to want those disks back when
you start programs.
In this article. I'll be looking at Workbench and
bootable disks. Very little experience is assumed
but you might need to read over the text several
times to get the hang of the inter-related
knowledge contained herein. Follow the instructions
and you'll soon have the machine booting in
seconds rather than minutes. To keep things brief,
I'll assume you understand very basic terms such
as "Open" and know what drawers looks like. This
feature only applies to machines fitted with
Workbench 2 and higher, but most of the
techniques are similar on earlier systems.
Workbench is provided to do the simple,
everyday tasks that we all take for granted:
formatting and renaming disks, copying files,
starting applications and so on. It's a protected
environment; there's no shame in that - it's
supposed to be that way. Graphical user interfaces
(GUIs) are a relatively new Idea, originated at Xerox
PARC and popularised by Apple with the Macintosh
system.
The Amiga was one of the earliest computers
to offer a GUI as standard (Apple's Lisa was the
first). However, it is the only business micro to
come with a standard DOS GUI, an underlying DOS
interface and full pre-emptive multi-tasking. The
numerous PC clones are often offered in bundles
with Microsoft Windows, but the integration is
nothing like as sweet: Windows is a separate
(memory hungry) application in its own right.
WORKBENCH AND
AMIGADOS
Workbench is a window on the main AmigaDOS
disk and "object" functions. The term object is very
important because it can refer to more than one
thing; Workbench objects represented by icons,
and AmigaDOS objects only shown as pseudo
icons. When you perform any operations.
Workbench translates a menu selection into an
equivalent AmigaDOS call and executes it. Some
operations, such as Clean Up, are specific to
Workbench although the support function,
Snapshot, uses AmigaDOS too.
You can access single AmigaDOS commands
from Workbench 2 using the special Execute
Command... option. However, for the sake of this
series, it is always better (and often necessary) to
use the Shell directly. Workbench is always started
from AmigaDOS and uses a great deal of
AmigaDOS commands during its startup
configuration - commonly called the startup-
sequence.
For Workbench 2. the idea of editing the
startup-sequence was discarded and an additional,
optional, sequence was added: User-startup. There
are a number of things you can do with User-
startup, but one of the more useful ones is to
produce a resident Workbench. A lot of things
happen during the boot sequence, so the resident
Workbench is not a universal panacea - but it can
be very handy if you only have a single drive and
plenty of memory (say an A1200).
RAM AND RAD
Two "memory" disks are available for AmigaDOS
and Workbench. RAM is, generally speaking, always
available: RAD must be mounted first. Both
"drives" work in a slightly different way. although
as far as the system is concerned they are just
AmigaDOS disks. (Exception: DISKCOPY does not
recognise RAM as a valid device.) RAM expands
and contracts according to the amount of data it
currently holds and its contents are lost after a
reset. RAD is always a fixed size and its contents
are retained after a reset: also it behaves more like
a "real" disk than RAM for the purposes of
DISKCOPY and, to some extent, LIST too.
We'll concentrate on RAD here since it comes
in a variety of flavours and needs different
configuration depending on the release of
Workbench you have. To make a bootable RAD disk
we'll need to copy the entire contents of the main
Workbench to it. and the fastest way to do this is
track-by-track using DISKCOPY. On early releases.
RAD was configured by default to allocate 242K of
memory, not nearly enough for the super-fast boot
disks we're looking for. On later versions RAD was
increased to 880K in size - just what the doctor
ordered.
Up to Workbench 2.05. RAD's configuration
lived in a little file called the MountList - you'll find
it in DEVS:. This is a simple text file that
"programs" the MOUNT command to configure a
number of optional devices. RAD's entry should
look something like this:
RAD: Device » ramdrive. device
BootPri - 6
Unit
*}!*•» -HI
-
*rt*tl
MTU
1
■RJiiw IterhMcft u M0. rum Hfl
"taw teot d<U Mt Itorfcttwll mM fct Kttt* frin \U ml rf-fcoftt"
tuivi mu w mufti
if Ml -«rn
rmrid forcr
#<IW IUm1 prfttKt** ftrtt S*t *#** i'Mt*v*J.*
» ftftft: r*
m
as
r*ttvt
in
Skill
_J
Adding the -flash" version of the RAD boot to
User-startup on Workbench 3. Startup for the
screen blanker and NoCapsLock can also be seen.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
AMIGA DOS 71
AmigoD
MastQfCiass is intended for
OS Mash
Workbench3.0:C/Search
irClass
should be saved in the Utilities
The script could be extended to
intermediate to experienced Amiga
There's nothing too surprising here.
drawer as DCIock and you should
support a simpler entry system
user 3 and leas description is given
but from release 2. SEARCH can
make a duplicate of the Clock icon
(TOP=. LEFT= etc.), but this would
here than elsewhere, however, this
look inside binary files. (Previous
like this:
add to its length without adding
month's example is versatile and
versions were confused when
1>C0PY clock. info to
extra functionality. You may wish to
usable even if you don't understand
confronted with a binary file and
DClock.info
add these features for yourself.
what is going on. The full script,
reported "line XX too long".) This
Now either start IconEdit (from
Interestingly enough, you can also
complete with icon, is available from
might seem like a minor
Workbench if you like) and load the
execute DCIock from the Shell
the Amiga Shopper conference on
consideration, but it opens the door
DCLock Icon. You can change the
using:
CIX.
to some very interesting areas. For
image if you feel artistic, but you
1>EXECUTE DCLOCK
AmigaDOS is an evolving
instance, you can now configure an
only have to change the icon's type
Provided the directory has been set
■system, dnd ill-*! vvhrn vou tftougtfl
ICONXed script from the icon's
to PROJECT. After saving the file,
correctly, DCLOCK will read its
it was safe to make some
tooltype array. For example (if your
you should open the icon with
configuration from its own icon.
assumption, some clever dick goes
clock is still in the Utilities drawer):
Icons. ..Information. Now set the
ond throws o spanner in the code A
X?CD SYSiUtilitioB
Default Tool to C:ICONX and remove
HOW IT WORKS
typical example is the SEARCH
1>SEARCH Clock. info ■■«
all the original Clock tooltypes.
1-5) Form a standard header
command. As you probably already
2 .TOP-0
DCIock has two tooltypes
suitable for this type of script. A
know, SEARCH looks for either text
2 .LEPT-0
prefixed with a colon as follows:
dummy key triggers variable
in an ASCII file or for a file:
2 FORMAT*
:WINDOW«new window description
substitution.
dependant on the operation. To
A good example of this technique
:TITLB* a sub heading title
6) Write the first part of the
refresh your memory, here are two
can be demonstrated using a
The syntax for window can be any
run-time script. RT#. When
examples:
deceptively simple script to produce
that used by NEWSHELL/NEWCLI
expanded to file this part of the line
1>SBARCH Code/PMO.C -/*** NOKUM
a digital clock - configurable from
window; title can be any text -
reads:
i look for t*xt
its Icon. This example is not
without quotes. The default settings
newahell froa t:cl5 windows"
/• FKU: Main code section •/
intended to explore all the
should be something like this:
7) There's a lot more going on
/• Version 1.00a •/
possibilities of the time functions -
:WINDO**-CON:10/10/220/40/DOS
here than meets the eye. This line
1>SEARCH SYS: SEARCH PILE ALL ;
things like alarms and date/second
Clock
find a file
suppression are possible. The clock
:TITLE"From Amiga Shopper
CMtiMtd ever the pogt
: hi (l*ck
rruw 17-km-m itjtitM 3
I 3
KUck
:0| Ni tlKfc
nit, 17-IIm-H 11:11:15 A \ frlin 17-flw-Jl iflll » A
1
U.D.ISN
3tM>.t-jft
4tinwi
Some evidence to prove that the DOS clock really
does multi-task. This hardly seems useful since it
gets rather slow under these conditions.
Flags »
Surfaces ■ 2
BlocksPerTrack - 11
Reserved » 2
Interleave -
LowCyl - ; HighCyl - 79
Buffers ■ 5
BufMemType ■ 1
I
It is important to note that the BootPri entry is not
present in the standard workbench 1.3 mountlist.
It must be in place and set to at least 6. as above,
if the machine is going to boot from RAD.
From Workbench 2.1. RAD is moved into the
DEVS/DosDrivers drawer of your storage disk.
Under normal circumstances, you would probably
copy the icon from Storage to the same place on
the Workbench disk. RAD becomes available after
a re-boot. For the examples detailed in this article,
we're going to use a slightly different method.
Rather than mounting RAD automatically, we're
going to put the onus on the system to decide if
that is necessary. If you have a late edition
Workbench, you should place the RAD icon directly
into the DEVS drawer.
CONFIGURING FOR AUTO-
BOOT
Once RAD has been configured as described, you
should make sure everything is working according
to plan before editing the user-startup. First of all,
we have to make RAD available and for Workbench
2.04 this is simply:
1>M0UNT RAD:
Things are slightly different for Workbench 2.1 and
higher due to a slight change in the MOUNT
command. Provided you have moved the RAD
DOSDnver icon into the DEVS drawer, you should
be able to mount RAD like this:
1>M0UNT DEVS: RAD
If all is well, you can proceed by copying the
Workbench disk from the internal drive to RAD like
this:
1>DISKC0PY DPO: TO RAD:
Follow the on-screen prompts to start the COPY
(you should just have to press Return). When the
copy is finished, remove the Workbench disk and
re-boot the machine without disks in any drive: and
it should boot in a few seconds from RAD.
Workbench is now in memory and should work just
like any normal drive, except that it's a lot faster.
Switch off the machine for a few seconds to
remove RAD before proceeding to the next stage.
EDITING USER-STARTUP
The next stage is to configure the User-Startup to
perform all the steps described above
automatically. The simplest form for this operation
just mounts RAD and copies Workbench to it. This
scheme is suitable for all versions, but a more
powerful version is available.
Depending on what you have already installed,
your Workbench may already have a User-startup. It
doesn't matter, but the patch should be the first
thing in the file. You can start editing the file by
entering the following:
1>ED S:Oser-Startup
For Workbench 2.04, you can enter the program
shown in Listing 1. The line numbers are for
JARGON BUSTING
ANSI - American National
on the computer, and that it
and even the keyboard and
Standards Institute. Do not
has exclusive access to the
screen.
confuse this with ASCII which
keyboard and screen. The size
GUI - Graphical User Interface.
looks and sounds similar.
of the console window is
Also used interchangeably with
ASCII - American Standard
determined by user action or
WIMP which refers to the same
Code for Information
pre-programming of the Shell.
sort of thing.
Interchange. A series of 127
DOS - Device Operating
Shell - a user console where
numerical codes representing
System. (Also used for Disk
AmigaDOS commands are
letters, special characters and
Operating System). Broad term
entered, pre-parsed and edited.
control codes. ASCII is just
for the software driving a
WIMP - Windows. Icons,
about universal.
computer's user-level
Menus and Pointers. Popular
Console - a virtual terminal. In
peripherals. In the Amiga
term from the late 80s to
effect, a window on AmigaDOS.
sense, this refers to the disk
describe the "modern-
Every console window "thinks"
filing system but shares control
graphical interfaces and the
it is the only program running
of printers, serial connections
device used to control them.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
71 AMIGA DOS
coettsead from prtviov* peas
adds the remainder of the run-time
module, RT#. This function uses
command expansion with -"". The
icon me belonging to DCiock is
GMrchpd HUp this:
■earcti Oclocx.inCo :window=
nonui
The output produced is then
inserted in the line, viz:
echo >>T:rt{$$> -
:WINDOW»CON;5/5/220/40/Dob
CleelUCbOSE/'NOaiSfi/SMART*--
tisst-10 uvlia«
This is string-sliced using ECHO'S
FIRST option starting from just after
the "-". The final output is
therefore:
CON:5/5/220/40/Dob
Clock/CLOSE/NOSIZB/SMART"
(The extra arguments, CLOSE,
NOSIZE and SMART, just make the
window look better on screen.)
When this is tacked on to RTff, a
typical run will look like this.
news he 11 froa t:clS
window. TOW? WW220/40/Dos
Clock/CLOSI/HOSIZR/SWART"
Don't panic if that makes your brain
itch horribly. The code is the same
for all TOOLTYPES: the only thing to
watch is the value for RRST
positions the cursor at the correct
point. This technique is clearer
when applied to TITLE in this
example.
8) This line extracts the title
from the icon file and sets a
variable, TIT# to that value. String
slicing is used to separate the
TOOLTYPE from the argument text:
-TITLE=" from "DOS Clock".
9) Constructs line 1 of the CL#
script. (A full example is given in
Listing 5 below). This line clears the
screen and switches the cursor off
using ANSI (not ASCII) escape
sequences.
10-11) Construct line 2 of CL#.
This has to be done in two parts or
the variable will be expanded during
current script. It wouldn't matter
here, but the technique is useful to
bear in mind.
12) Adds line 3 to CL#.
13-14) Add line 4 to CL#. Note
that this line is split over two lines
to prevent the "" triggering in the
current script. When this line is
executed in CL# the cursor is
positioned at the start of line 3 and
the current time printed.
15-16) Add the remainder of
the script.
17) Executes the run-time
script. This creates a new process
LISTING 4: OCLOCK
1. .key dummy
2. .bra (
3. .ket )
4. resident c:wait
5. resident c:date
6. acho >T:rt{$$)
7. acho »T:rt(SS)
using the window specification
defined in the icon and runs a
startup script that has just been
created! As I said earlier, there's a
lot more to this script than at first
meets the eye.
"nevahell froa t:cl{$$) window-*" noline
"'aaarch dc lock. info : window*
nonua VCLOSE/NQSXZI/SMART*" firat»10 noline
8. echo
noline
9. echo
10. echo
11. echo
12 . «cho
13. acho
14. echo
15. echo
16. echo
>KNV:tit($S) ""March dclocJt.info :title» nonua'"*" firet-9
>T:cl{$$> "acho ••••el0;0H**elJ**e(0
>>T:cl{$$) "echo •"••eU;lH$" noline
>>T;cl(«) "tumr
>>Ttci{$$) -lab start"
"echo •"••at3;lH"'
"date*" noline"
"wait 1 aeca"
"akip atart back"
■•-
noline'
>>T!Cl<$$>
>>T:cl<$$>
>>Ticl($S>
>>T:cl($S)
noline
17, execute t:rt{$$)
LISTING 5: CL5 PRODUCED BY DCLOCK
1. echo "*e[0;0H*e[J*e[0 p" noline
2. echo -•e[l;lH$tit5
3. lab atart
4. echo "•e[3;lHdate" noline
5. wait 1 aeca
6. akip atart back
reference only and should not be entered. (Make
sure you save the file before leaving ED). The code
for Workbench 2.1+ (Listing 2) is similar, however
this configuration allows you configure RAD, boot or
not. simply by dragging the icon in and out of the
DEVS drawer.
A more powerful version is shown in Listing 3.
This allows you to switch the RAD disk on and off
by simply dragging RAD from DEVS and re-booting
the machine. This i3 a compromise of sorts - I
personally prefer the more elegant (and shorter)
solution, but this does mean a power-down reset.
There is not enough room to explain how these
startups work in any great detail, however the main
points for the Basic 2.1 boot are as follows:
1) Checks if the RAD DOSDriver is present in
RAD. If not. control jumps to Step 9 and does
nothing else.
2) If the RAD DOSDriver is present, this
checks if RAD is already mounted; in other words,
if it has already been configured in a previous
startup.
3) Step 2 generates a WARN condition if RAD
is not already mounted and if this is the case,
control continues to Step 4; otherwise it jumps to
Step 8.
4) Mounts RAD from the DEVS drawer as
described above.
5) Prints a simple progress message.
6) Starts DISKCOPY automatically and
prevents it from displaying any progress messages.
7) Reminds you to re-boot the machine. You
might want to add a QUIT instruction after this line
and a message to re-boot the machine with no
disks in the drive.
8) Terminates the IF...ENDIF construct
opened at Step 3.
9) Terminates the IF...ENDIF construct
opened at Step 1.
CONCLUSION
This month you have learned how to make your
machine configure to boot from RAD on the later
Kickstarts. Making things as automatic as this on
the earlier Kickstarts is more complex and a lot
slower, although it is possible. In either case, the
mm
Hw!:„
Using IconEdit to create an icon for the Clock.
This is the Workbench 's own clock - but the icon
must be saved as a Project type.
standard machine lacks a command to reset
without using the normal keyboard sequence; this
is something you have to do yourself, although
there are routines in the Public Domain that can do
this for you. Next month, (editor permitting) I'll
present SeaShell - the easy to use, protected Shell
for beginners. ©
LISTING 1 x BASIC RAD FOR 2.04
LISTING 3: AUTO RAD FOR 2.1 +
1. Assign >NIL: RAD: exists
1. if axiata DBVS:RAD
2. it wars
2. Assign >NXL: RAD: exiata
3. mount rid:
3. if warn
4. acho "Copying Workbench to RAD. Picas* wait..."
4. aount devsirad
5. DiakCopy <NIL: >NIL: from DFO: to RAD: ?
5. acho "Copying Workbench to RAD. Please wait..."
6. acho "Reaove boot disk. RAD Workbench will b* activt from the
6. diakcopy <NIL: >NIL: froa DFO: to RAD: ?
naxt ra-boot"
7. echo -Remove boot diak. RAD Workbench will be active from the
7. endif
next ra-boot"
LISTING 2: BASIC RAD FOR 2.1 +
8. endif
9. else
1. if axiata devs:RAD
10. Assign >NIL: RAD: exists
2. Assign >NIL: RAD: axiata
11. if not warn
3. If warn
12. remrad force
4. mount dava:rad
13. acho "Raaat protected RAD has been removed."
5. acho "Copying Workbench to RAD. Pleaae wait..."
14. aaaign RAD: raaova
6. DlflkCOpy <NIL: >NIL: frOB DFO: to RAO: ?
15. endif
7. acho "RAD Workbench will be active from the naxt ra-boot"
16. endif
8. endif
9. endif
aj
AMIOA SHQPPER •> ISSUE 39 #> JULY 1994
ALL DISKS ARE All disks work
NOW Jl ST £1.10 with the A 1200!
EACH! times* tinted
101 AMOS PROGRAMS PACK (P) 3 WSKS t3 »
cnr tuxna &v n ctc»»tb 510 pocxam tr an wsmtf
.^nfvr*rwfW _C-m»* * .rtfljtvm <vr tv^ri/m-^ OrvrsV VjbAs^
USm» Demot and IWfttt
101 IMAGINE OBJECTS PACK (P) 7 WSKS £770
rcro#nmcttr0pie t«*\nj« and oTr«tiy /wt
uq«ay(3ewnvr9 jv ^cg was© sort «r ***
*r*pcn ^ttatfWj *u< *L/n*/e L Arm*, f> »*to
HOME MAWAGCMtHT PACK 3 WSKS (P) C3 30
flugo; ilmxuuK {tfotmt fyung rmur rumwio. Oum
(jtf Miter Hamf flr*XN
CUPART PACKS 1, 9 OR 3 EACH PACK ■ 5 WSKS £5.50
man
rttMUUTORJAOUPl 3WSKSL3 30
t I *r* ^o/ As**9* r*» « fir** fr**Ubx fn* toaerf AT a»s*> »*is^ r***
EUCTROHKS PACK (P) 4 MSB £4.40
A COtetoi C* c«nTTTff*D9Tirrbtt»>cnrrtoWMr)
fledFono TrxwlxJ t*iA*toH^*Mff»'o^m«*cf>TCOTffiB
•3 you «n awn** c wwr c *n t*f dtfparrs , £*?<* *wdflo*rJ
«j|iwlhfir«-*ry Akr.rtrtrfoJc*wvw/0*c*3»rcc*<
htfOcuM
ANGUA CUPART PACK (P) (MEW) 5 DISKS £5 SO
•Vtf r*» P CMl^Odrrd t% A-*# UXS rf r|»/l cUfe IMM F
AS1TOHOMY IY.CK IP) 4 W5K5 £4-40
Tta Wt>PiC*ron'n:kj*i to Chit AtfJJiW, ToM
JrKf forte rv> (ft* *Tir twfirm
WSK EXPtRT PACK (PI 5 WSKS £5 SO
*C PROGRAMMERS PACK (P) 6 WSKS £6.60
'> A tcnptenr X* tankage axt supob rafrucwi rwuifprwJr
M£0 VM1 MUSK PACK (J) 4 WSKS £4.40
*ynrywfAG>rnuictotoM«Jp*iy' Lsfcn to •****/
An gliaPD
jp> = Works on all Amiga Computers including A 1 200
Prinlid lt<mkltt Mitli
details i<l I liifitli t -ds
Murv l>i*lU Jusi
CUM
OASSK GAMf S PACK (PI 5 DtSKS £5 50
GrtMra, Scot** Mm*Cotwi fl*.*^ »-filmwx €r& f
5p*x***c*r\ Atfocx* SraKui Tons + mcnt
CARD * BOARD GAMES 9 (P) 4 WSKS £4.40
^nctfiff <xoir**i0 co«rtoi'39«vs«PcJ'7TiniTO*G«^^
L^ess V? r Aadwnmoa ancttx* rc**«n Ape Ja>s Mvc
CjnKN Jcmrvo On^Ci OPwfa GoAWu Pvyx r«i
COMP0GRAPHK FOKTS PACK 1 (P) 3 DISKS £330
JftScjWWf ConDuy«W^fantion3*b Theywo*w«fi
Wytben t ft for 3 t /^jeK rgam VSV f on amAmgal ftopy 3*
HARD DISK PACK fl (P) 3 DISKS £3.30
; £*»«>C OT«tf ocv (f^ ma« rtf trrtxtftffi AR
-^ Kr ~jcr <-W iHSl t j ' ' RM
AlSOOPACKlAIIOOOMy} 3MSKSU.30
A/otiteG*crtmtKj/t*mrfaYnjA1S00ifckjaa t&r<*j
a*£m a fK»ft#>. OefficW. S^wite. Wvrfei. Ptaarm. WiMcna
UVAG4. rffr^AaAjndfror^AtorcnjdotWi^rwis
PIAJTORMPACXIP) 40fSKS£4«
|Alof^bctf9vra^^tf>*o^ScrKaVtfMim*CK tfnx
^r rev ^>"^5rw>K*it *>«?««' ^riao *tzrntkjor
*trt3Ert«l Wbe^V^dEfc Ox^Oa?vSbr<*»cftMc<ttSff»
|ofM59ff*tfM0rf
PR1KTER USER PACK 3 (P) (HEW) 4 WSKS £4.40
UmA of twtf nrw rvrio pmpmf* fcr rm/ lltfi (hn ptrf ycu
can frr* AWt3»« pnr* cofcjnni (Nr>«pBpcrK><f4 prt twnm
frcW .Atto nrWia « 5tocoyim progrwr* our proa/ JD«n0a
HOME BUSINESS PACK (P) 4 DtSKS £4.40
Pp*ycqepa^V^nD<anmtDCxflnQg j oft»*f c f»ecl
ttete tta tyfOB)) AW/rUx0«r« Tfj(ttw<w««*n9
HOME BUSINESS MANUAL (P) £« 99
Aporot 50 pigr pfotomcmlty pnmed manual cannwiojM
*^fTOn guderf lot/ Kctcm &*wf tote >c*v tffw^»tf»rm»or
ft*i#f5 of ozh po&wm ^xJ cm/cs tfwf >ou CJrt uif MCfl
pmfwnvtihc tj nfkMncc*
ARCADE PACK (P) 4 WSKS £4 40
C v *cff aftftr rhrxrybesf^sdrtf^r^afnor fftr
**^Wra*«) n^vp«yMvo«artio«v«B^ri3jda
CKwncn Hoc-eric Ga«9t Mctutt 'm Ortnai Obtocn
SINGLE WSKS AT ONLY £1 ,1W
BUSINESS
BXl (9> Aflnjitot cffQWi Dot Top Ajtrttfingj
fiJSVfPj <W*TL«nmirtmfSMDcrty- ***toux)
BH?<P)TetitnVneV4 1(nawmtwbrt™m**x*my<^
bUR-#r 3ft 0CO hwj spdt c^ctef>
S33P( , P , ^*. , rtrA VPO^tfwvcwi -earr^^rt/J
53tf (Q EifyCWi^hrtesf &m*»wf >rr
«3#P(PjAn»»iaryf£a5y ^besf ftrvv
fl»? { P) »t« CM f C«aaWOi3 Soho t +W9W** mamorc;
&3S1(P) On fem (He* **oct*mtr)
UT1UT1ES
\M3?\P) tXcpf V3UtAadtstct&Bt)
U478(P)THma Tutor (hk** Grtai kattm )
U49i(P> \4xaOtfcV63J(«K*ffuitAr}
IM96 <P)M*v^VV<1k*itv*Jv#*BPCdala)
U40H(P)*rl&Dn<m(O**1{B~Atefr*O(ucn
"tarn **:K*3n§ coo/ &XJHPHJUO)
0*036 C*9WJc**r)*k* f 3(irt)CWL6C»BT3»T^«
WO« i R) Mw Ma < ray -at* (d fto uv^aj
U40>d r OG*M*ra«rT**^ ff^ftncsi c*s»c *atogucpro$.>
U4(&7(P)Eryinim&tAhtm>ctxctk*vwAm&)
04065 (P)fiooHmzmt (Bins w to dote totem*?}
U4075 (Pi Frrtpatnt (Si«rtJ Pm* fregmmj
U407SP) SpcctnjmGama (Mm gamester the mjbrv grr#fi
U4(WP)CGfCNTS(QNe»Corrvugn&Ki torts)
U40BXP>Clicart(6SpiaofAjra*lKaf w*9)
U40B6[P)Ckmi4Sfambxydm VGoodft
L#€6XP)aaan\ uv&rmiSwab)
'J4cetp)aeart<47m9a**ca£B)
l*&C(*C**wk 9aB<Mm&*Ammrrr FocAxn I
»*?pt (P) or fl^rr mat^ mopq ton Ofert paj
G0G30 fP>Ta(**drfPey*^«50irfTheWhJ»U9» r nf)
GtfSJ 0»B W cny) GW then r flcsf crtcu ?»nf )
G0056(P)Ca^fM(pfobab^tt€bestfnjnmac^
06006 (PU9D*ki)iahtolt tTtm o*t9tfwrT*+akt*h
G6D7B(P)WOclmt((kKx3arM:eT9m}
G60&A iVOOo*}** *ie*ba»(AG4 ^mxfl
SftJP P'QEUaruMsKttt^jraWnc ecefcrtj
GflOHP'T Mmm (9«r Cr *cng 6*rrJ
GflflS7(Pi u*n0 «itt to^(pa5»mti
<k0K{P:USA'MO*toUQf>Soccecml&v}
C?18(P)CotoPU(Ncwcck*fingbac*toryo<^
C790 (P) Cokxf fh€ Alphabet (education ?ot4yt+)
C7S7(P) Top Scott (pimform$ame)
C?9Q(P)CoL**xyg A/>(4« stms practice)
C738 (P) Msfc^i »**» Wnpcy f ft^ edxadon a^r S-6)
C73Q(P) Armwf Lam (LeaFTyuhejT PW*€ aye 8-6)
C740(P) taaur $cm* (FevJ toned Tremm «»r 4^j
a47 (P)i*0e Tf&caer (Stcmb «WKK «VR9C>
C74P fP> A*y*bfl %nf fi«am djyuba tv a*Mmg c jjr^W
DESKTOP VIDEO PACK 9 (P) (100%) 4 WSKS £4 40
^ ry war >cP fti>ido €%tr>ffaf>y to start rou o^r |
MdPclttBV>MOBC>roca vU03JCe/oicBc/tarft«J/T«aei
DESKTOP V1DCO PACK 8
INSTRUCTION MANUAL) II (P) £8.99
cottmj *n*ixttyB tar *T the program r> the pact sxi 6 settn
en krts and to?* to use ETerrV AKoixU3taiu»C>5tjded
(Limit Wf ate kx/ ifnx^h ffr ffi*cr cvoyvm step Cy step,
«Wig>oucT*rya/3*nMte*)a/^ O&yicO fcr Oc^rren
tkth FISH DISKS
350-975 IN STOCK
SEK CAT DISK
MM ( l.KRAM.K
IN STOCK :
SK* l*KIMVI>B<K)KIKI
rORUKTAILg
. . *
HIGH QUALITY HARDWARE
Bmm HKjh Quality Mouse Pad
Amrsa SO(V«)0*/60(yi900 Dust Cos*rs
Phillips 8833 MoMor Dust Com
B*ar* Onto (hqh quality w)th labels)
£3 00
£fi00
£0 5C
ANGLIA PUBLIC DOMAIN
(Dap! ASH). 30 Victoria SPaW. Fatastowe
PHONE WITH CREDIT CARD OR SEND CHEQUE/PO (PAYABLE TO A.P.D). PLEASE ADO 70P (PER TOTAL ORDER) FOR PAP.
¥%
VISA
lrrt»m«fton«j
ontare w»*cofl»#
butp*MMMSd
30p p^ 61* k tor
pott & packing
CREDIT^ !
LIBRARY
IP117EW
PHONE
0394
283
494
AMIGA REPAIRS
FIXED CHARGE ONLY £42.99 Incl.
• RXED CHARGE INCLUDES PARTS. LABOUR. DELIVERY. VAT
- 90 DAY WARRANTY ON ALL REPAIRS
• 24 HOUR TURN-AROUND ON 95% OF REPAIRS
• ALL UPGRADES PURCHASED FROM US FITTED FREE WITH REPAIR
• INCLUDES REPAIRS TO DRIVE A KEYBOARDS. ADD £10.00 IF NEED
REPLACING. FULL DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND SERVICE . A
kAA
Stock
TT
A500 INTERNAL DRIVE £38.99
Simple to fit, fully documented
A60O/A1200 INTERNAL DRIVE £4 1 . 90
Simple to fit fully documented
KICKSTART 1.3 ROM £25.00
For software compatibility
KICKSTART 2.05 ROM £29.90
Upgrade to A500+ ROM
SUPER DENISE *28.70
Excellent value
68000 CPU £15.00
SPECIAL OFFERS
New Low
- Price J
A500 MODULATOR
Exchange/Repair
A500 KEYBOARDS
Factory new. Genuine part
FATTER AGNUS 8372A
1 Meg chipram compatible
CIAIC
Printer, Serial, Drive ports
GARY IC
PAULA IC
A500 PSU
£11.50
£19.95
£25.00
A ATTENTION ALL DEALERS A
Our company now offer the most competitive dealer repair service.
Full credit facilities available.
Send for our FREE information pack today...
We reserve the light to refuse repair lor whatever reasons
Prices only valid with this coupon
Service HOTLINE (0533) 470059
DART Computer Services era
105 London Road tkJ
LEICESTER LE2 OPF
Uf7
Compute^ Services
Lowest Priced Top Quality
Ribbons, Inkjets, Toners & Disks
Printer
BlAth
Lou
:-
s-
Kb
■UQE
loC
Zi
5-
lit
Am«!r*d [IMP 2000/3000
L0S
2 45
2.25
PuuaooIc KXP1 123/1 124/1 140
3«
331
3.11
291
Amiir«l l**P WOO
366
351
331
311
P«n**mlcKXP1080'll«ft'WI5W 289
2 74
: r -*
234
Amttiwl Pi WK2S6/VS12/LQ3SOO
i m
2T0
2-50
230
Pmuonfc KXP2123/21B0
^75
540
520
Rmthn MI009/1024/II09/1209
LM
175
3.55
335
Stikottu SL90'92/9S
570
555
S35
515
CNlMfi I2>H>T3P10/Srtft 24/1
tM
270
250
230
bui LCI 0/20/ 100
2-29
214
194
184
Commode** MP51Z2O/I230
4S0
435
4 15
1"',
VmIjCJOO
300
j K
265
2 45
EpMfiLQlOO
410
U5
375
355
NUTLC24- 10/200
2»6
2.71
2 51
2 31
r.|«on LQ4O0 "Ml '800/ffiO
3 4S
3.30
3 10
290
Tum KARa KP810/815/910/9IS
3.14
299
279
259
Lp*>»i l\ M\ KWW.1X1X80O
290
275
255
.: ir.
CQLOLB
t'p«<Hi V> MX.HX100/FX/MX100C
336
321
301
til
CllUrn Swlh 24
12.81
1J66
12.46
1206
E(rt«n IJCW/ltoVW)
212
197
1.77
167
Panu»nlcKXP2123/2180
1063
1048
10 28
988
Munnrtmann Tally S0/8I
.190
375
355
335
Star IX 10/20,' 100
600
'. K
565
525
Ml llnwiltrr P2200
till
ut
2.68
248
BtarLCaOO
978
963
943
903
mMMI.IK- 110,191' 193/ 195
317
302
:-:
i a
Mar LC24- 10/200
963
948
ui
8Jt
Ring for Ribbooa No* Llifed
Ring us and WE WILL BEAT all other Ribbon prices
]
DSZDUD5/11D
10 IMftks
B
Ss
25 Disk*
S12
£18
50 Disks
S21
S3I
100 Disks
&36
S56
250 Disks
S83
S128
500 DImU
S162
S2:iK
100 Cap.
Locksble
DUkBox
S5.99
with order*
ofS10+
Pri-lnrmattrd iMMM'S) dlika avaltablr al 2p rxlra/dUa
Ml Dt«k» Ortiflrd \0Q\ Error Free
and INCLUDE l-VIl I jiIn-U.
Inldete. Ink Refills & Tonem
C anon BJ- 1 0/20 Caflrtdfe 1754 each
Comn>odor«MP$1270Carirldffr 12 13 each
HP lV*k)« Cartridge (Doubl* Cap ) 24.24 each
HP Oaa}et TrvColour Cartrtdav 28 89 each
HP Thlnk)rt/Qu>et}et Cartrtdfr ', 2 13 each
TfPI Watei T rR«Jpu« L: arTfta# rHrfm IbWfeafB
Inkjrt Rrfilh (Twin Pacta) lor Canon BJ- 10/70. BJ300. HP
IWItJrt Available in BUck. Cyan, Ma«enia. YeJIow. Red.
Hhir.Srwwn. light Green. Dark Grren and Gold.
1 Pack SI I 00.2. Pack*S10 60e*. 5. Parks S9 95 ea
HPI-aw-fH HTnToticr C»t lr,-U MSI SacTl
HI' Laaerjef I1P/11IP Toner Cartrtdgv 53.14 each
Ring For InkJet* A Tonen Not Listed
Mi sc-ellaneoug Items
Roll 1000 3.' Disk Labels
34 " Disk Cleaning Kit
Parallel Printer Cable (1 8m)
Mouse Mat
299
2.99
CPU & Monitor Dust Cover
Monitor Dust Cover
80 Column Printer Dust Cover
Amiga 500 Dust Cover
Amiga 600 Dust Cover
Amiga 1200 Dust Cover
549
198
S SB
3.99
3 99
399
| All Prices INCLUDE VAT (@ 1 7i%) & UK Delivery |
0543 250377
0543 250377
Ring us or send cheques to:
Owl Associates Ltd, Dept 225, Owl House,
5 The Brambles, Lichfield, Staffs WS14 9SE
Official Gowrnment & Educational orders welcome
E40E
*»»*&
\JU«
wrrrfP"
/
PACK FOR A4000
Take high owlity mooes iiom CD (CDTV CD3? « your own
pholOfnipfn prwnwd onto Kodak 1 * Pholo CD) and input them lot
■ — pwtawcn mo anv DIP 01 Ail potkaor m wry Iff fib (ornat.
Seftwwre provion Ivl mtofc procetung end e*«tvt wpprxt fw ?4 br)
drsploy totih such as ftosso Reiinc rStofc. Opol Vision ek
CD SftiMi *«AroW TotUba CD BOM ^^
drtve. SCSI II iMtrol and i/w £ 399.90
At aooet wfikout Kfl £ 299.99
WHfH P-UtCHASfO AT THf SkM TllttA* **000
W
m
LA-CE
L3*
TEL:
*<%*
i-.* 9 ^
4 50
of
ISfr
iV^Sirto'™
r*
ii°
of*
•s»
"A
> INSTANT PHOTO SYSTEM
CANON IK260 ION CAMOU £ 299 "
iMMiorMii rove prc'ufc- mimrtj *iio ony Amp DIP. GrophtvYideo Pockope No
M«mivtfckk.riitnonliniiwigMI?tK « fiffttocft Km any SVMS coreooftbie
ponlock In-butl time lopu. fab . outo who* bdonci SO pea tforod orto ituublc
[orowo dry. tomes (omplcHt with be
DUpMlti
camera OHi. tomes complete wmN battery charger mom oooptor dru ond ol leads
CANON PRO RCS60 ION CAMERA £2599.99
200M. iUTOfOCUS. '.MV, IN AMD OUT. MALM IHOUtlitS WUCOMI
A4000/ 30 & 40
A4000/30: AGA Ckep Set * 68030 processor, 6M82 25/50 MHi or
pr west* CftiM. 250,000 cotton from 1 6.6M, km I iU ■ (tr ftcket
free enoiey. Mows* Amiga 3.5-/1.76 HI 3.5" ame. Mora Drivf ■
Mow, Aaifa DOS 3.0 systeei ood vrStits.
A4000/401C Desktop os obc«, but ftotariog lot bfrslenoi 41040
processor, witfc hi Hooting pool fodfiiiei.
A4000/40TAV: Towtr with ft* 040/FPW/MMU pr«esvor with SCS1-II
tiDH/Ftws. yom.yii M ok4i H i>o,
5lcTSSi» l WABUHTIUfOMMS
llW ,_A4eoortKy M000/30
1.1MI 2*2MI 2*4MI
saw suuaid swbexp
new vosjon
— ^rrOOOO^rrrroj
^%& CD"
^gg^OICROCOSM PACK
"6" SOFTWARE
[Ovef 7S f<tl*i speooty written for the CD 37
Jioold be in stock (phone fo< livl) mt
Syndicate. Zooi 2, Jurassic Pork Chaos
tog»e oory cf «Wh m<Wde a M CD
■w »** t***> *t game Abo* koV
of emit, CDTV -In *t caoomWi CD 1 -
•i ahs ploy Aaod w Cfc aod CO-G
in
CD' (-.4. («tfk Own AOA. WO| I
Dt»fM«M SlfWd. (kffMl *}«iH «K-*
Mow nrrr fc C N40S f MCMf oW WUOCOSfl
£239.99
AVAILABLE NOW!
CD32 mv AMD 5X1
MKihrthir £189-99
CB32 Stated wfrrnlf i. 1J IfanMbSi £135-90
(*w<fc<ui £42 50
£48-90
irtn fttwa to k*v«.
1 2 «o* ths of Ihom won «ty C39.W .
IXM 2yr. ««rfotiy £3«.99 n"Wy*«feSJI
StmDvrWtmM
3yr Ui. WoTHfr
MOOO/4DK/40IW
2*4MI 2*4MI
WomrJy f 39 99
f99.99
HD
yZEM
£M
^MfRA f 20 OFF
^.tci-iuMooy
HoHD
10
OLD AMIGA TRADE-IN-
The besl Tf ode in oWowofKt txlro lot MuptSefoh ami ocuswiri hade in
your oU mocfone foe o brand m* AiW/1 200/4000/CD^ o( even o H
After irode-m equipfnenl a checked and reluibished by our engineer* ond n then
offered o! boigmn p*«e\ ( compltle wrth 3 nw>nfhi worronry.
ASOOs FROM £ 1 39
AlSOOs FROM £199
A600 SO/HO lromlS9 HDi > (onhoo«.homl7»
A300CH fi«n499 GVP HOB 40/5? . 709/779
CDTV 179 "/At Mooid SO/91
A590 70/40MB 129/159
OTHfR A(;C(550«I(S • PUA5I A5K.
'Aicipiow* of pre-¥7 mochm« may bt bmatd
?i S
'-*
.(/•
120/130 ^>
214
240/260
340
520/540
1GI
m
11
WITH ANY
COMPUTER
A 1200
I
i
2MB Singh Drive
• 20MB flD
.60MB HD
.80MB HD
• i?0MBHD
• 200MB HD
.340MB HD
(itro 4MB t
clock lined ADD £200
•tlMAmOVlDHAIOMIVIS
bM Uori maJhm/Mni ok mt
OKtOMMwi wA im vA CM m
Anwtnvw
269
359
419
429
479
529
679
A500/600
ASSTAMDARD All
A600SD
VfllD. WEIRD
and wkked
A600hd 20
nos
EXTRAS
NlGfl MANSELL AGA.
TROLLS AGA AND
COMPILATION PACK
3 Top game*
A£>0£9.99
0£S*crof orwAM/ri
MCA* PtUS
3 HOT LIST TITUS
ADD£44
KIND WORDS 3
ADD £9.99
A4OOO/30 CO
66882 2SMH*
33MM/
50MM/
• PHOTO GRAPHICS PACK
WORKS PLATINUM
ADD £19.99
NtW
COMBAT/
INNOVATIONS PACK
ADD£44
Remember a
HOBBYTE VALUE PACKS
Hobbyle are famous for fhw pocky allowing, you lo choose who! you worn wfiriHi Mill benffritmg. from porkooe deal wrong*
borgam n onh/ a bargain when you like whol you geli So. if you aron! Wild Wevd or Wicked. SJeopwofcer lonoS you to sk«p, Space Ace leo.w you feoehncj empty and
ParooVoid does wise, rf Bosk bowoly isn't you. entrust your options ond get rod vdut loc money from Hobbyle
TRAMPY'S AND NODDY'S
PACK SPECIAL
Fun ond educottonal ftr with amiga alone
2*o i vttcs £39 £59
E
STARTER PACK
A RWST fof WW W | T H AMIGA ALONI
™»\Ujmmdm £ , 5 £25
p^
EPIC
o*mim
1 94 « 209 « s
274.99 294.99 %z
n m
liMooowNO«oiieM«tSOionf^i4iM0^3f4iort|>Anfli
■diorn.
NO OTHER DEALER CAN BEAT
OUR CREDENTIALS
Mwth Mft«fi ti n fwrrf with 10 (••! iipMitKa «i ConwnoOMt ptodud and
Ui to Bay
(ommodori traaid staff ori friendly and helpful and on pot ruts, mummooa
ffdwnhonol gomes progrenmng or tedmcal sponalnh (usually more than one 1 )
Open 9 6 pm Honday to Saiuidoy ond 1 00 am to 4 30 pm Sundays PLUS
Decembe- late nmhh on IHursdoys [St Albans only) fw convtmtnt uSoppAi
i fw advice ond demonstration ol our 1600* wj f* ttigh .1 To
Noddy'i PNnrTme
OR U AoWure
OR Morfai Matin
The Shoe Peoole
ORFnSoW2
FooSdwol 3or4
OR ACM Jw R
ORCowtiiMg
DtWit Pomt II * 700
OtA/tpki
Hobbyle Piiojory
EoWioool PD Pod
Hobbyle 30 Easy
CjMms Gtws Pad
lr^oxrionq«nnB]WWvPUISIowAiipad 10 Ueat ov<>
in iW( onritf tM MOJ
Ml7oll
A. -rt-iot-n ol Wexttted tol itW erootf
THC HOT LIST
GREAT Individually
packaged games,
BETTER THAN THE
REST !!
* we* m rot pel iWn
fh«i dvi '•pvoiS esptcolf A ***** •* *"eeii
Hew P>e»to" orV art ceieoM| m oom cortom
rW "Sn Sd«T wulmm mry mi fMf
SV6 n iiiiM ■■<■< nmui, 3 n II r*en yor> ^
IWoMdMBAvienBnloomooe Jfmtikmi
KJr »»>•* «lw«s **m* (am*! WtWt I M
Kan (MAres. Eteyoh • loMnmr. S#—
VvovBRh
Monemol
PUi Mkxoi wrtcWd
Joystick, 80 cop. lodebU dbc Wi. Dnt Cove*
£39.99 ooch)
ANY 10£39.94>
Or sot potfa oots
t7»n*M-92\AF
10 ha •toi |«h ion pr
. ex tou «ek «eri any tr>eh. baA*
(oungtv' rf lac ao> ft vw wne al An
HOT BUG G AM£S PACK
ImtkKtts fCTullim«rt £44 CS9
foystick !!!
"THE BUG"
r*ma»i»Tftt/wv*i|i
SJyPunv 90V.bhof
S/W^unmlcoe«}»?[t-
PaperboyHt
D*Hod?
CoHeri wtltonw
(ifttre btondi
Somt toy dtipalch for most ofden r«tir«J by S 30 pm, npfcu om ond
SflTufdoy strvkes avorfoblt
Hor (tare (orefuKy iMndU ond dtUered wl#ly and ftlioWy by uqid r imuud.
lop nam courier wm$
Pre dfnpalch iedu>g on AffliQa ^yvlerm
Fth 30 day (ouw (otaton ond delivery of NEW ri^cment !e utp) prwkMt
with on ute moinlefnince)
Hotline wpport ond in house ingmeen
upyudc ond irwk In offer) fo keep you up lo dare
Eu optional after wiles «r>M
BFP0 and evporl welcome
SERIOUS USERS
Interested in musk,
programming and graphics?
Then this pack is for you!
Eaiy Ami
pack
WITNMMGA
£39
ALONE
£49
Tke oni> pytkeh t vet »o W »>w» o CoM retag 92%
AF. wrfrre unjb t weded onxw wnel md h*tty
See li^Tiftj H nSt r«hi lot cunenf HOT LIST o* pko««
for MM changn (hJdren s ejotw avedoWc
oa. HoUylt PO Iwlwdr top gomei Ue ftoftttcan, St« Trek (omyrtor
GfMtiPockll 10 (ofl ^ *fV! tal+ **•* a ' onode clmvKi boarf
bimk dnci novie { *w w woot em u^ . Uma« Word Ihocw™
lOTiotUirGw^i
TW GREATEST!
80 Pr
mot, 80 capodty
•«t„ «A_i_ i _i WioWt &u box.
H( o^ommmq wigum WontohH manual n ^^ . f
pie aod etfenvMu dn tor conwele nevicei r* 1 "" i »'»*
SpreodikMt Oatobne . Oeuitop PubUo tod •■
vttimaH «rirt kitten o muu fw every Amtpe owoul
,'Tl
OR AMOS Proleiiioool 97% Af lahog ihe wood bohefl inhnj EVE*
ADD CIO lor ihit option ? lhen ' eoin ,0 fnweiaonaty neaie your own
• pnn MoWlonOTio^ltptiiliionM
Hobbyle AMOS PD
Great t
Deluxe Paint III, plus
700 Clip Art pics
Dotem c-f utilitm. Piolrocher mum nioduln.
eiompie piMrammn that no AMOS programmer
Creole your own design lo imorpoiole into your
AMOS prop
DESKTOP DYNAMITE EXTRA
Wordsworth 2 AGA.
Deluxe Paint IV AGA
MIDI Recording Studio I If you have a MIDI instrument ihrs rs everything you
MIDI Interface neod lo (ompow ond edit your muw
OR AmiqaVHion
Powerful presentolion end production tool
Digito Print Manoqer
Dennis the Menace AGA
Oscar AGA
Trolls AGA
PLUS
2 'Hot List* titles
TOUIfHOKI UtAflKKS
SPECIAL
WITH AMIGA
£44
ALONE
£59
Wor&woffh e Dalui« Point IV of e fop
oockofltt hi their Uldt EACH with
RIP \ olnKrpt Me the tatol pock pn<e
loflelher they con produce high quality
do< umerth imludmq fli ophic\ in up lo
?» r 000cole«m
*wim 3
WORKS PLATINUM
ADOH9.99
NEW COMB A
yffm
OoienoeGorf
Boftenpi ctaw board gome
Graeme Sounra Sato
NoghBon
rtoAoroortO
Captor, Pfcnei
SAwnaroWamCU
[ooleomWnrgeoi
EddrheOwkl
Stock Up I
loworttfAAE
fu^Solondt
FdUotr
Sportra TnonoVs
VYorldCnrier
toiSanpw
Hiriefrnori/Cprn America (O
Anode Trmo
Xem-CfVGCarmoflfwMonih
abde Wonw A Power. AF, AArton
'jwerb revwm
Arme
AVVARO WINNERS
Space Ace, Kid Off, r^Manq Popub«|
(counKas?)
t PARTKUIABIY SU1TABU FOR
CHILDREN (MAY NEED HELP)
«f NOT A I ?00 COMPATIBLE
TTTUS MAY VARY
Am PACK
'0P1II needs 2MB for animation on HD nwdeh
AMIGA SPECIALISTS • STAR GOID DEALER • CDTV CENTRE • PHILIPS APPOINTED DEALER
MONITORS/ACCESSORIES
CAM I084.D 1084/1085 ! loads 194.90
CBM194?duc4syn< 78 dp AGA monrt* • ifaobm 339.90
MICROVIUC AUTOSCAN 143S If 7UpU«r«UtK* IS 40i.Hr
lor 1 700/ 4000. wrwtery wnbli scon rain between t SKHz (fJefawh on boot
and 40 Wi fof al IU modes in t+m iaw With t* and nrnnl 244.90
399.90
1 039.90
889.49
UMtoc for A1200/'Ktaovi«K (no« rMMft^ f« 4000) « 1438 19.99
**>«mmc1S37 31 4»H f I4-S19.90 Stoiee Spwoien i Profiocber 1 7.49
.211071- 1700.00 /yhsfeeieR 37.90
_ 57.90
irrevrto; Cub van 1440 14' ?U» (w* M ween control)
Rterovn* Ciw-sun 7MifDrl7IXl/4OO0nflboH l bui70'
M*uo-*k Cvb«a* .1782 17', 2/ap. 29 12 KHzh^u. tun....
48.50
56.50
/.y ft no Spoofcers
FLOPPY DRIVE
2flppo 3 5 external dnve rJorsychom . on/off
NrrV AM1TTK (Sony) 31/7 tit Drive ontKlKk/onii-viiu)
Wa80fl^»*flri-BkTtMKliupnndv«w protorto. Cydono tompohfale 75.99
DualdrniftK880B 124.99
High demitv I 76MB c«t drive fof ony Amioo (WB 7) 88.50
Hiqh density I 76MB hi drive lor ony Ammo [WB 7) • lOHDOnc . 94.95
KDwraf nol floew forSOO/AOO/l 84.90
A50Q/A60oVlM0rt|AK_m«nt ntcrnol floppy (specify) 39.99
HARD DRIVES/
ACCELERATORS BACKUP
1500/2000
»w
m
Slm.M033»HI4MI
z
*MUt7*M(W
n'ftOoSCSIMMttffD
3000/4000
I?1U1«! MSIartnJOr
l7Mldanlor«W
Qualw V4f« aw*o
A4000BQMI
MOOO 1 30MI ______
A4000 170MI
UO0G76OMI .___
A40WJ4QM1
234.99
719.94
170 0«
<44 44
•99.99
I Tlt.OO
119.90
234.90
579 90
29.95
68.10
.119.99
179.99
199.99
239.99
29" 99
$99 99
HD8/I7MN
fmwm
ASM --_••- TON MB
iWUMWlAMlHB
1500 Worm. MM) KB
»SQ0 Mm** 170-4 KD
lnnc*SCSllO-ltf)_-
AS'oi*?M iittsoo. nra ti„ Wi
4 IMcNm*w brydepMM
A600/1200
r.VMI230,40MHj
&VMI7M:. tOMHMIAfl
GVP*I?M ' SOMHj 4U£ .MMll
A209IU5llMvbf« 1730
349 90
399.99
tOOM f 1*»
139.90
114 00
349.99
279.99
119.99
219.99
239.90
439.99
559.99
74.99
199.95
AMIGA 24 BIT HARDWARE
HARLcOUW 3? NT t RAMEMAXER "■'D<*;WCWqiq fll ^ '**
• 1 6 7 million <olotn photo rcolnlK display * rod tie»e li Wf oMmolion * Alpha
Channel - superimpose Kigti quolrty ptopnic*. onlo bvc signal, oc smoothly bUmJ paint
MBOfK * Doefa U Buffering • ? ?4 brl dnpbjys mstantly cvadable
SUPPORTS: TV Pant, Vlob. Cof-pri, Syrnpotec. Ad do, Red 3D • omen
PICASSO II 24 BIT GRAPHICS CARD „J> PAUrr j— 1*1 £284.95
K"^- ^ 1 -!-^^; Jflrt¥ u,,u ««£319.95
RAMugrapn-., Tejrwy warvetj no ZAw fiovjor -«■
NW-_»rTtXtelll | l'|OJJOBe»Wa^
iTO HKOOfl FOI PICASSO II £144.95
TV PAINT V2 INSTLAO Of TV PAINT JURAOt ADD £ 1 50
Rniazii74inGi(Anfa(ARD £469.95
Mann* nrj r«n no rMtt nnclTMitf iiruu rX hl * Hb
PETtiABLTZ 24 »n GRAPHKS CARD «,..„.,,
*****. hcl^G £589.99
PICCOlO 24 BIT GRAPHICS CARD
1 6 7 flw-on (oWs on-board Witter. 1MB e<p to ?M8 video RAM, fuUy pngtnmrnoblt resohit™.
doubtebuHenngMnu'WwBon.ARWX uipport _*-»*« no
Supports tead-iB giophics tjadogei/applioi-ws 'VfAiirt jm* Flrfi £379.99
RAINBOW III 24 BIT GRAPHICS CARD • VIDEO COHTROUER
Sfmlar lo Pfctoto But «ir im» mIhRAN fog res to 1600 - 1780,
buri«^(otiiraloiix llC«ft*a tv^Am? j*» f tt( £1489.99
0PA1 VISION 74 Ugn-w board WTTa a#>t . f _.
^W^Opoi^WTTrl VOUCHERS AST ftS? 01 '- £339.99
r«<o SiA foi Otol Vrwn WITH VOUCHERS JgU-HVUk. 647.99
Seen Roto Comer* tor Oooffaiao WTTH VOUCHBR* 4 »f »n If || 64 7.99
GVP KX 71/74 S«CTffU* 24 NT CARtt p-^Kfl* 2MB £389.90
M km rolnun up to 1 600- 1 710 or _00to00m24™V-"MMB £1389.90
PIGGY NPEG VIDEO CARD £479.99
Take 74 bo orwaotjom from dot oc olhor tfwogo devKe and ropte* tr f oof He w itwoagk
Iko Amioe 1 U*-« mi.gialod oenlodi lo ovoHoy Amioo yophm for wphislkoiod fiBstg one
ueciol rtfwlv lo prodwr dunning promotional/ homing videos, « panes wtm hve vetoo
foolope Noor SVllS quo-ty. 16.71* tofowv MP(G look ♦ Gbiory funrtiem. 75 frornesM
A40O0S40MI
4000 BAC KUP » S CSI
Com W- I'M Ton S«h 349*0
575H 454.90
bkoawttelli-OBMooiipm) 24 99
(mmVS^. 7S4.04I1W 759.00
(•rwSCSI'J 4£|*DATftBo . 1044.00
Oil 5GI " • (E/aimam . 795 00
Affb (DID _d 5i_l ■%• to ««
4600/1200 HP UPCKAP-S
SW fWATPM'rtD
(ON-me emtaONd) (enR a(M»
TOMB 89!«
I 149.99
15MB 169.99
177MB 219.99
170MI. 2S4.99
pkrybock
Y( Output modulo lot Poogy
MPeg em oder option foi Peggy
GVP TBC PIUS REAL TIME FRAMEGRABBE R/I1MI BASE CORRECTOR
Piofsssional auul.fy ICCIK 601 } dtotfol T8C using slote of fhe ort 8 brt 4 ? ? video signal
promsmg, 1 o 7 motion coloun lionw buffor (ronHooes (omposft* *■ Y/C inpwl, 3 (lvonnel
129.99
349.99
£689.90
.--.■-
«Jm tnp4rt iwrtihai pt
IMllroMkiHcrrar
VT^HffftTXh.
mt
of 1
329.00
199.00
234.00
274.00
314.00
-^aMWlMKtfOU'WhHi>l|iif|
500
aWw
&5301MI 170011
4530IMI7I3IU
4S30UII?
HMlormaAtf
HOI/IMI
MM I TOW
419.00
549.99
* 13.99
11.99
149.99
294.99
344.99
t
pjj
1700 OVERDRIVE EX TERNAL «h
0w*i*t ]',n0 HO 139.50
Owem35IOMIHD 237 50
0>-iw35l70/IJ0MIH0 297.50
(Wi.. 3S 770/760MI HD 337.50
Owrdr 1 ,i3W4OWH0 417.50
Ovvdmv 3^ 540-u HO POA
Dedal (am. Rk*. far ote*
GV> IV * VIUS
GVP IV + V1UCT
ImpoclVniOfi
V bob 24 bot r«a4
VloB?4MrrdliMt«(n«r
Vlol4W/ , 3000*(SWS
ram 1 -"
700/600/500 M _.
500/3000/ 4000 1-
194.90
57.90
739.90
1,189.00
POA
—334.99
289.99
334.99
A10NC! ......
386/486 BRIDGHOARD
■ ■«■
214.99
POA
SCANNERS A DIGITISERS
psan GT 6SO0, 600pp. 24 U A4 inc. ASDG Sron s.'w » (ob> 679.00
pun GT 8000.800api 24 be A4 hk ASDG Ston s?w . lobti ... 889.90
rensporonn Adaptor fo# a
IIMIAATION
G GATE 386SI 7SMHZ POA
GVP 40/4 FOR 1500 945.99
EMPLANT MAC EMULATOR
Runs all known s/w ■ oi-tr^ionai fast (ompohMily m fuB colour, supports gioptiKS cords
(Piuruo, Rohna cti) Mulhtosks any combination of Moc/A/moa appkahons wlh full hi*
transfer avoi) cul/posie belween Mac/Art-go Witt stereo sound • supports HD's <T( via r>
M SCSI option, AppWal opnon avaJobte
EMPLAHTIASK 7S9.95
Horvd'Sconner 400 da. 64 Grryscafo. V3 Powoiscan softwre
ir Hand Sunaer 4 256 bteruob • v'w
wrtvore for Power Scanner
K(Mtlaatf3aRe«V4 n
D JX1IX)MSaM-w*sapMVwi»iallb.
Sketri.;Mw*s/w,A3To0toDej_rioi
359.99/
499.00
98.90
118.99
48.50
7.M.49
469.99
529.99
H . - .1 . H -. - - -
(MPLAMT APP1E TALK
EMPLAKTSCSI
EMPLANT DELUIE lAppUtol
U N-wl«M/om«ajrf^4mfBl
30/40. wi «c. -y:m\
414 PC EMULATOR FOR EMPLAMT 95.90
339.95
339.95
.SCSI) 389.95
44070
STOP PRESS
EA4PUMT PCMCIA FOR 1700
£289.95
GRAPHICS/CAD
M>re»40V3
Ad l*pf*-.yon A&l
An Dtpi. Pro 25..
AdPtr hof fwNM-no
AdPieCsotiol
ASDG Snmnw CoeOrofci
HJown
Cg6g>.74
Cokgon froodeotf 3
OwMwrA.—
ttonw
DtkiuPeeini
EWuuPewlAfii
Beeoyi
DMOU
bowrtOrM
GeRoiy--
urn
id
ragrMG
-WttACrVn
UgklWm'AF&OtD
Morpb *
rtnl30ho
PhotowrxO)-
213.99
17.90
134.90
129.90
44 99
54.90
119.00
133.90
94.90
396.90
29.99
74.90
53.99
59.90
_S4.9I
49.49
44.50
39.90
39.49
19.94
147.9.
149.99
139.90
40. Tt
769.90
13199
59.90
4499
VnMMehtoeei
X CAD 7000
I cab:
XCA07*d3
VIOEO riOO/ TITLING
AVeW< TVPaMV?
Adwo|.'i
An-poVHwa.
NSW 1.0.4. on IiiIm AOA
44.99
24.99
79.99
229.95
194.99
588.90
68.50
17.90
SOFTWARE
Pm
K»* 74 50
tarA_»_
77 49
BklNkl
48 94
CinOoTJ
9U8
s^« *9b rot
Imod I font (nhomK
lioodlromP-tt
I'vvModkM
i AH
24A£A.
rnVAorV
1
So-WI.
tvim*
PinDro.3
■•dSOOaw 71.90
1*0130*7 374.50
VoloHllOO 49.99
SraAri Pro MM?) 137.90
TV Shoo ftl
TV led * i.
rnwDtMM
ddKfntcttJO
V4nvail«t
VNiAmool?*?
VM4 SOUND A VI5ICW
Vt«A>nifal7«Hi
159.90
POA
POA
329.90
159.99
POA
138.99
137 99
44.90
5499
119 99
51.39
;o sa
11545
111.90
POA
44.49
64 99
94.99
134.50
OonDBv5 79.75
fygntfifd ho 3 5 49.75
Dmdwv Opn 4 43.90
Bit Work II . 43.90
UImh. 32.50
Gvwiwn 47J0
5AVArNoiCtt5..-. 229.99
Piled ... 34.99
Unwtaitt 64.50
uuowbekloaDriBB S9.99
*«tm-«e) Paeo 4 > A«A
UIlOoilfcsnnMimDTPlwiof
to tM iiQwuil— HWffltoi 94\
if 114 49
JPimPMNjIjIrNlepI
OMIT C1S4.99
PtopMbBWiwi 35.90
PlMMf ft
r\6b_wi
17.90
toxenPHohhw
'Mtaibau Pinonal 1
_e-rte-Pn4V13
IrMMft
177.95
78.90
214.99
11190
^ [ftoM.Uili
inr
SiBbbJwEUOO
(VMM Uhrhr Sato 3001
Soil Pit NUN
S__*ri>.40 .
Sow»t_W
SVNPATKAI
VIAm
117.40
294.90
198.99
57.M
vn
**t.
***~4 IrM/owr.
MOk
Kwdtfevoec Wi
(Pern
379 99
'x^wtoalr
189 90
u.?
12.49
rr ft*w 7 4 V7 o
109 90
Vrio Pro Lite 17M4)
.42.49
V«tl2l*ainm
V4?4ltdI«M 719.99
EDUCAIIONAI
Aoy hn Sdwl 3 w4 15.99
-N.W-A04GCSI 24.99
AerMwAOl 14.99
AU.te.Me4a 14.99
l8 0o*i 16 99
14.99
i*.oe
749.99
59.99
21.49
30.95
1449
24.99
*Nfcl
UTAJT«5/LAriOUA«5
AMAJMrV
An bo. . A InK
Ah* 30
AffwltoOiwiw
AmmComptto
AmnProl
AnwMCompAvr
iixieh i peyora* v hr '•
oNreti mow* W. aofe
-1/Mll
r.AAHN'OM'
aVFK
Ob
Me»0052«Ml].ja|MrJ
AlfO ?4hr|J ICTVlerMrgnf
Ham9V«par!
left w«riwttt*lpo*3*»«*»
IBAPIU (orrm !/• 49.99
li«Pimt74
47.90
VI0I0 TAP! UCXUP
OT1UTT
E57.50
leek* ewotTOIN •*»•« 1 hour
Mm
IintvPn
11 50
AffuanoM
VmVimO
82.50
bceVK-3
M.90
FMiLfrrV?
43.99
rwM»Aw>
99.98
rfcjrelctOMs;
48.98
UdWwei :n
17.98
Meie6irVr4
17.98
MMOfta
37 44
MMtvMwmr.
35.44
roMiiiiMiTTT
67 90
Poe^ntMi »3.21 9.90MOMV AP
COLO WlNMik
Paotwr-M3AGA
41.90
Pan Pol 1 5
78.50
MUSIC
1*101?
16
• I
4
64.44
38 49
34495
15999
41.49
»eniP*w>?
(M0ySer-pk>.
OtUiit hWw (mi I
GVP 055 8 PLUS.
174.99
67.90
64 90
23.90
19.95
Motdi KbraaYluior 277.99
MgwUbfl 39.50
tjoasMeeornUMor 26.50
(mo oHa wirkVMll2)
5«e«|oa 82.90
ItoWewel Iwm 7 25.50
•waak U M aad tyMm 299.99
ITIMaW. 244.99
KoiiMB • in Meaai 529.99
urSUtl TOf SILLERS
IbM-ai
Aril Nan
Own
lOl
IWrlVwuaoc-cAU
|l7Hra|hittM .
flGtWrm '24.99
CwrJwjTOOO 24.99
HsaryLM 71.49
haoMMen 23.99
Lemrraci? 18.90
MoMtrhand:! 73.99
Putly '12.99
EobocodAGA . 15.44
SaMwSMUf 15.95
Strata**!! 17.49
THUMTXRIattWI 1 2.99
Tlw> raw How 5.99
TmrJrasal "9.99
wsng CwvnoraH 19.49
-PrnioeABO^MhAaa.
M rtf W t ywdast
OTV/a> p DtSCS
5PECIAI - ANT 3* 59 90
11.90
21.90
27.90
21 90
24.90
21.90
21.90
27.90
23.50
27.49
8.40
27.90
21.90
17.40
16.44
14.44
3Z98
Cae/taaonlaea
!«*Wt7
•Urnar
DmmtMoo
DMfCm.
■r«M Mm
aanPnd?
JimmKPorli
•Ifnmmoj
lotw Turbo Mopr
[uoa't'Onrul .
NASAHwncAfi
HOWGowl
■0WGmm2_
Anno
GENLOCKS/MODEMS/PAX
rla-ide 8802 FMC 159.95 i^f_*oibSr»rtsa?4Cfl 149.99
««^^--— *« 9 -W rVL6l4,4Cflrt^^r^- 199.99
•famo Liefiodc 40?92 • Fte
oayfjlr-PrV_70
26239
689.90
28190
13150
289.99
t^en*Bx^b^ioV;_4 19.99
HctnoG4»-odt 40290-
GVPWflA
Raoerv. I200o_rnpc4.
Rar^Rodcey.
TRAPfAX Comrm s/w induced F0C wrth
above or alone 49.99
Phone Pah VTX imnrntj -*aNM Vow *d/
hii^ m4 ton htm mi wipr—o r
tat prah ofl ■ rwaOpy , rioim reus
wtoHrW.rfnaM,* 339.90
ACCESSORIES A DISCS
A5W/6CO/l200()nril«ce^^ 28.99 Amrtec Moduloio. 34.99
AS00/1200 control centra
A600 ronlroi contro
Brkkolto CDTV Joystick odopl.
lUBIorfcOS/DDdiwsmboi
10 Btank DS/ND oVsg
.34.90 AIion/Balmon/T2Joyslick... 10.99
27.90 BygJovshck 11.99
.39.99 DncExponaor _ 34.90
...4.99 50 Bfanrc 05/D0 cbsa 17.99
6.99 50 Blank K/HD oVso 27.99
I
EXPANSION
lAittSiata^Oodr. 21.99 0H17O7rjn _*«/ 7*-95
ASM. IMIetp Hf* 001702/2-1 # flv n4 144.95
AS0^2Jl8.i_|iilH 189.99 Ml»_/o*.\\oAV 204.95
A601 37.99 MlATkVM vV v 334.95
A600/l?W2»«-p(o_rdl 115.99 AiWech Hawi ♦ dock 2MI. 133.50
MN IM4Mi«fMl 169.99 UtectiHoM . ciockJMfi 193.S0
llDTVlMfitjp.SwAf-- 157.99 Amnech Hawk . rkxk 8MB 396.50
ASOORomShcrorl.3 37.95 mboetnrfor FPU's
ASOO Rom Sharer 2.04 3195 68882 ?SMfu I crystal 59.99
A600 Rom Sharer 4 1.3 49.95 68882 33MH: * crystal 69.99
A706S Ettwnet Cord 229.95 6888? 40MH; f uystd 89.99
PCIMbnfOock.. v4 .* 65.90 66882 50MHz ♦ rjyial 109.99
KI2082M1 ....4t>V?,A>1 37.90 (BM21 uoarooikrl 74.99
PC17084M8 \ T v5> 197.90 Cktp fiftino cmd bootd upqrode avcel.,
RmM 4j»" 396.90 by wi cwoWied liicjineors POA
-k itllCn PRINTERS
VO» n w PAa p»a
CAmbITO.D 11199 IMMJUFValU bbJT PtKISA
toLClOOfpacol... H390 IPoe^~0~ 2 19^0
Gfc_M90M_o- 13144 HPDetl4ot3IO 259.90
C*nM 90 cslov' 149.99 fptoo Stybi 300 1 79.90
Star 1(700 coi 178 49 «>. Epioo Slyai 800 274.99
StolC KM- 144.99 Epim StyU» I000....409.99
StolC 74-100 74pm 11990 o* CStliee Projol II 228.90 ^
StoU 24-200 17994 HP D,vfc(.t "0... 239.99 ^
StolC24700col 19949 ' HPDt»k*l 50Ocofl._3l9.99 ^
PooowokKXP 2123 col 179 49 or HP WS-JC7 550cS_4l4.9f '
TloISs; 185 ~ HP0e 1 h j o,S6C< 459.50 «
1 \l{? a eiioe HP0«fc>M2O0C...II49.99
' \IY,1- lllH *-_ Com. iJlOSX Port ...144.50 -
i 0170 439.90 « <o_«|j200_ _244.99 mt
teMlOll/O 507 90 C«MelJ230A3 379.99 w
CfionAoCMeM 14399 CmmI)330A3 492.99
r*iMAK«a..vW 15999 O Cmm8J30O .384.99
taMS?0024' 18499 Com* 8X600 Col .-519.50 O
C-a_-S?00 24col'- -199 99 « CoaM 8X800 1426.99
734H SterSJU 141.99 o
7MM < 5t«5J144 346.49
32590 STAJLASa *t
5MrlQ4-30Col . 18198 f"*o oawVa-iJ 391H
StolC24 300W 72990 £* ^Aff ■ »!!
VWMpM5005hotnA4pop«.AirM0Hi fcffJR*? 00 S'lH
KvHMonoH* HPlosoiHr'41 579 99
^ha« dr^i.VlaN (VA ? t obovo) looMy HP LOM|>t 4 MP 1227 99
PRIMERA COLOUR PRINTf R... £639. 90
M Vpv'vw onrneeii _v uKuratod cooxa o( itw Mirsubnie and ot** Mwmai wo_ MriMn at e^hfeiora, but
routoi"' o1fooi'hiS4000» ante tog. At Faroe Prnw 6 4w pwto vou'io uelfip, foi UuihaiatnrC
■ol 4w pn of *e Mom iW.
.raatooftn o raWro^.ilrbhRsNcobin • fr » 4 Ms tow tm wi n i
COMPUn WTTH AMIGA DRIVER [WINDOWS OR
MAC DRIVER IF PREPERRED) AND AMIGA IEAB 1480.00
PHOTO RIAltSnC KIT (10 PRINTSl 1 184.00
PHOTO REAU5T1C REFILL KIT (100 PRINTS) ( 140.1
PHONE FOR PRINT SAMPLES
HO DEPOSIT CREDIT *V $#*"•„.„
(fobf"<« lo *\?*tf> 2 itt mofor'debil cards
d.Vall* »»_ fl PfI , /_ , J , °n n o trrhnrgo*. ,
o
IS
D
I I
I
f
acc
epied,
Oa*WM«h*k«M|W
Leu:;
ir-
noo
27.44
14.99
24.44
73 90
22.99
22.99
16.49
22.90
"4.99
•AfeoCDTV
«w349981f
ORDERING:
TILISALIS NO: 0727 S56003 FAX: 0727
SamoteoespoMtoaebaffao* Aftonakvwy send chegue. pcsttoroir. bar-en
MofcrW«ocr(PlCvE^ci_toireelGo^ Atom,
HornAlSSDO FVcse alow 7 wwing days for cfeow doomon Siftwl W OAKCaty . desaokh r, nomriy wawi 24 hours of rocapt
oftawalpOVfaat PnCIS « CtjnOCt $*«* of Q0W1C W ?». 1>>HMI. **« MTTaMW toCN W CNj^ llefn, t^ * « ODWll
PaBsr Jwd Wore orrtong AOaNni sorvns ow OnMMir podopts may bt oftoed n air thamoms. on) pnas nor van/ from MN
KUVERY CHARGES: w munland (not hicwamos)
Smal constfnab* I DrsoaRM by oost. pwase ctwrt
NRmh Mms darftt wbon oRMnng
ObSor Nmi, eucpt losers (wxtdoy coone* service (10 par box
08shon ond H^Moricb rVseonqun
IN AiWION WI Of FER 1HE F0U0WING EXPRESS SERVICES
Soturttoro^wnes .20
Amrmtcloy SIS
Croat torn «27l% API IwioWDcto
Mononp-tftoDurdaaesomLISO -rNoci
tOMMB COattOn-00 loOHNJ STMOaP W%
oho twoUb to btsaraa omMnj so.
trooVsoai
• HP AUTHORISED DEALE
\
76 OPINIONS
Know what I
Discover what the top industry commentators really think.
Wilf Rees on Educating Amiga
C\\
**l fool no grtot
Perhaps we will see
the shackles of big
daddy removed, and a
new sense of purpose
given to the two gurus
who determine the
future of the machine
we hold mo dear. " Wllf
So Commodore Electronics have
finally gone Into liquidation - well,
I suppose It was Inevitable. No
company can continue to carry losses of
that magnitude without eventually
succumbing to the inevitable. Perhaps It
will herald a new. independent
Commodore UK which isn't subject to
the whims, dictation, and financial
milking of a parent company which has
failed to recognise market forces,
competition from other platforms, and
sensible value pricing.
I feel no grief, rather a sense of
optimism. Perhaps we will see the
shackles of big daddy removed, and a
new sense of purpose given to the two
gurus who determine the future of the
machine we hold so dear. The only fear I
hold is the old adage of securing the
stable door once the horse has bolted. So
why am 1 typing ihis comment on a PC,
using Ami Pro, when my 1200 is less than
a yard away? The answer is: it is better by
a million miles than anything on the
Amiga. None of the Amiga based software
houses have done anything about this.
Getting personal. I got a call from a
mate who runs an IT department in a
college. "We're getting a Mac Network -
want a few free Amiga 2000s?" he asked
me. I collected three, all with hard-disks,
1.3 operating systems, and old 20Mb
RNL drives, but they work. Fortunately, a
nearby school had a Tire, and all of their IT
gear was written off so I bought a load of
Archimedes 3000s, crap though they are,
for a song. However, they all came with
monitors so now my 2000s all work. New
Workbench 2 ROMs are installed, and I'm
looking for some cheap controller cards.
SCSII drives and more memory.
Trouble is I'm fighting a losing battle.
It was great a few years ago; Commodore
employed a team of Educational Support
Specialists. Regular visits from them gave
me the impetus to encourage colleagues
to ignore Local Authority advice on those
awful Archimedes machines, buy Amigas.
and give the kids a computer that was
versatile, cheap, and did the business.
Sadly, all the ESSs were sacked in
one of many 'rationalisations' and I was
left trying to defend a machine which I
knew needed no defence, but was losing
ground to an advertising, marketing and
pricing policy from competitors. What has
also crushed the spirit is the emergence
of PCs which are offering better value for
money in terms of what they do. and their
availability to Joe Public.
I still think my own 1200. which of
course cost much less than a PC or an
Archimedes, is infinitely better, but I'm in
a quandary. The 020 processor was too
slow, so I bought the new 030 50 MHz
accelerator from GVP, along with the
SCSII interface, and a multi-sync monitor.
and an internal IDE drive. By now the total
price is higher than a 486 DX2 66.
I want the kids at my school to
understand how brilliant the operating
system is on Amigas; what advantages
there are with a true multi-tasking
operating system, and how manipulation
of files and data is much easier with my
favourite machine. But sorry folks, the
PCs at school are networked, the software
for the majority of applications is better,
and the price of them is plummeting.
Listen Commodore! - you are losing what
frail education market you have, and real
enthusiasts and devotees, like me. are
becoming utterly cheesed off by what
seems irrational and arrogant behaviour.
If this is an opportunity to break away
from whatever stranglehold the US had on
you. and approach the future with a
machine which we all believe is brilliant.
do it, but do it with a philosophy which
appears to be planned, coordinated, and
based to embrace all of the potential the
Amiga has. Don't just treat it as a games
machine, but as a visionary concept which
could hold its own alongside any
competitor. Get your pricing right, not for
600s. but for the high-end 3000s and
4000s that can stuff PCs out of sight, and
compete for markets such as mine - in
education where the Amiga has a rightful
place. P.S. Anybody want to buy an
Archimedes 3000 really cheap? Wllf Rees
Dave Winder on Pornographers and Bigots
eople only have modems so they
can get all that hard core
pornography that Is sitting on
every BBS. don't they? If they aren't
armchair pornographers then they are
definitely swapping pirated software,
aren't they?
That's what you would be forgiven for
thinking after reading most of the press
coverage of comms. Comms. and the
Internet in particular have become big
news recently. Wherever you look in the
"media" the Net pops up, be it on the TV,
Radio, or in your newspaper or a glossy
magazine. Most of this coverage at least
mentions pornography, if not concentrates
on it. Why? Surely even the most
computer illiterate hack can see that
computer communications form just
another medium in which pornography can
be distributed. Not even a very cost
efficient medium at that. Think about it.
To get a picture of "Dolly Delightful" you
need a computer, a modem, terminal
software, and a telephone. The majority of
cases will need a credit card as well.
There are a number of online services
which offer pornography, at a price, and
they are all situated overseas. So to get
that picture of our Dolly, you will have to
subscribe to a pornographic BBS
(anywhere up to. say. £100 per year),
connect to them by means of an overseas
telephone call (not cheap), and then
download the dirty picture, which could
take anything up to an hour depending on
the speed of your modem and the size of
the file (certainly not cheap). What all this
adds up to is a damn expensive way of
getting hold of some masturbation
material. Why not just pop down to the
newsagent and buy a magazine full of the
stuff for a couple of quid?
Odd isn't it, that computers are
portrayed as something evil just because
of pornography. Odd isn't it. that books,
or video, or satellite television aren't seen
in the same light; more to the point that
all mediums other than computers don't
seem to make the news at all these
days? Kids aren't "hooked on newsagents
pornography," or "addicted to sexy
satellites." are they! Could this have
something to do with rabid technophobia?
Because so many people know absolutely
nothing about computers there is a
tendency to be quite easily misled about
their power and uses, and I'm afraid to
say that many of my journalistic
colleagues are guilty of lending a hand in
this deception.
Isn't it about time that the media
started looking at the positive side of
comms? After all, 99 per cent of what
goes on in Cyberspace is useful, positive
stuff. For example, there is the research
side of things, the social framework, the
virtual communities, the online games,
the people who fall in love over the Net.
the people who conduct their businesses
over the Net, the technical support
offered over the Net. by the Goddess the
list is almost endless. So why concentrate
on pornography? Am I being ever so
slightly cynical when I say this might be
because it sells newspapers, or increases
viewing figures and thus leads to
increased advertising revenue? No I don't
think I am. Of course the really ironic
thing is that the same people who are up
in arms about this subject, and want the
computer networks controlled, are the
same people who publish pictures of semi
naked girls in their newspapers. Perhaps I
am being even more cynical when I say
that maybe the reason for these double
standards is down to a fear that
electronic publishing over the Nets could
eventually all but destroy standard forms
of news publishing, and anything that
can try to control such a threat is going to
be used.
Pornography isn't the real problem,
but bigoted bureaucrats with a distinct
lack of vision and a fear of change may
well be. Dave Winder
"The really Ironic thing
Is that the same
people who are up In
arms about computer
pornography are the
very same bureaucrats
who publish semi-
naked girls In their
newspapers. " Dave
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
C PROGRAMMING 77
Toby Simpson demonstrates the
importance of a good understanding
of lists and nodes in helping you to
improve your programming skills.
The Amiga operating system is a complex
beast. Over the years it has managed to
become much moro complicated and Keep
up with development, without either requiring a
total re-write, or causing huge amounts of
software incompatibility with each upgrade. Users
of A12003 with Klckstart 3.0 can still run
software written nearly 10 years ago on Klckstart
1.0 and 1.1. One of the reasons for this is that rt
was so well designed In the first place, far In the
distant past.
Tne core of your Amiga is the multi-tasking
trtocutivc. This is the bit in the middle which
controls everything else, and which everything else
is attached to in some way. The way in which it
handles information is important to us. as it
dictates how most data is dealt with inside your
Amiga. One of the component parts to it all is the
Exec list, and this is what we are going to deal with
in this article; an understanding of lists will help all
of your programming on the Amiga, particularly if
you are working in 'C\
What is a list? Well, in its simplest form it's
exactly the image that the word "list" conjours up,
a list of items. Let's think about a shopping list.
You are off to Sainsbury's to get a few items: some
peanuts, crisps, beer. Jack Daniels and cornflakes.
Not exactly a healthy diet, but fun to consume
nevertheless. Each one of the things you are
Dianninfi to Duy is a single item in the list. In Amiga
terms a list inside your computer consists of a
header to give information about the list, and then
a chain of linked elements called nodes. We can
think of each one of these nodes as one item in
our list. Notice we said a chain of linked elements.
Each node has a pointer to the next node in the
li»t, and one to tho previous one. This way, each
node can be in a totally different area of your
computer's memory, and we can still go along it
and look at the items in the list. Because we also
have a pointer to the previous item in our list, we
are able to go backwards too. This may not sound
too handy, but we'll explain why it is in a while.
Have a look at the diagram below which is an
illustration of how a list works. Since nodes are the
most important part of a list, let's have a look at
the structure of a possible node:
struct OurNode
{
struct OurNode # on„Nextj /* Pointer to next
node {successor) */
struct OurNode •on_Previous; /*
Pointer to previous node (predecessor) V
char *on_String; /• Pointer to a
string •/
)j
Let's look at this in more detail. There are two
pointers to other node structures - one points to
the next node in the list, and the other points to
the previous one. Then we have a character pointer
which will point to the name of an item in our
shopping list. In this example, we'll say that if the
value of on_Next is set to NULL instead of pointing
to the next node, then that is the last node in the
list. This way, we can search an entire list and find
the last item by stopping when on_Next is NULL.
How would we create our shopping list? Well,
first we would want to allocate some memory for a
new node, and link it to the end of our list. Then we
would allocate some memory for the item name,
and put a pointer to that into the on_String part of
the node - a brief search down the list until we find
the end. and then insert it by pointing the current
last item in the list to the new item, and setting the
previous node value (on_Previous) of the new node
to point to its parent. Let's work through a simple
routine to list the items in our shopping list:
We'll want to define a node which we can use
to point to the current item in the list.
struct OurNode 'liir nod«;
Just like Amiga lists, our list has a header at the
beginning, and this does not contain an item in our
shopping list, but it does point to the first one. It's
a global variable, and it consists of a single
OurNode structure. We can check if there are any
items in the list by simply checking its on_Next
value. If it's NULL, then there are no items yet - if
not, then that is our first item:
if (shopping list->on Next)
list node ■ 8hopplng_list->on_Next;
list_node now points to the OurNode structure of
the first item in the shopping list. Now we can start
a while loop to list them all:
while Uist.node)
<
Here, we show the item name itself:
priatf ("Xtes - Vs\n", Hst_node-
>on .String);
Then we move to the next item in the list by setting
list.node to point to the on_Next value for the
current node. If there isn't a next node, then
on.Next will contain zero, and so will list_node
also. This causes the while loop to stop neatly
when the list is shown.
/• Move to next node in list •/
list. node - list node- >on Next;
)
)
This else bit is tied to the if statement above which
checked to see if there were any items in the list. If
not. then a message is shown:
else
print f ("Ho items in list\n*);
As you can see. lists are quite simple - we can
easily move up and down them by simply referring
to the on_Next and on_Previous values, and when
we reach a NULL in either of these, we know we're
at the end of the list.
So. why are we holding the previous and next
values? Imagine you'd entered cornflakes, beer
and coffee into your shopping list and you wanted
to remove beer, having just discovered there is a
six-pack left in the fridge from last night. With our
list, it's really easy. We hunt down the beer item,
like this:
THE WORKINGS OF A LIST
IT"
s
v A
K
Y- -/
NULL
HEADER
CORNFLAKES 1
BEER
V
COFFEE I
1 nextIJ \
PREV| NEXT
wvious
tin the
PREV| NEXT
PREv| |n!Xt|
or
c<
tch node has a pointer to the next node In the list, and to the pt
te. This way each node can be In a totally different area of your
ymputer's memory, and we can go along It and look at the Iterm
list In this example, ¥
Instead of pointing to
we can search an enti
veil say that li
the next node,
re list and find
' the value of on_Next Is s
then that Is the last nod\
the last Item when on_N
*
et to NULL
9. This way
ext Is NULL
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
78 C PROGRAMMING
struct OurNode •beer_hunt;
etruct OurNode - prev_node;
struct OurNode *next_node;
BOOL dona - FALSE;
f roint to the first node ■/
D«ar_tiuoc = Bnopping_ii8t->on next;
while Udone)
I
/" If this Id a null node, we reached the end
of the list without finding the beer •/
if (beer .hunt -- 0)
(
printf ("Can't find the beer\n*)»
return;
)
/• If this item is 'Beer', set the done
variable to iero end exit the loop •/
If (! (strcmplbeer hunt->on String. "Beer")))
done = TRUE;
else
/* Move to the next node •/
beer_hunt ■ beer_hunt->on Next;
• At this point, beer_hunt points to the node
for Beer V
Now we've found beer, we can set about removing
it. We can find the item before beer and after beer
by looking at the current values for on_Next and
on_Previous. To remove this item, we make the
previous item point to the next one. and vice versa,
thus bypassing beer altogether. Cornflakes will now
point to coffee. We can then free the memory
occupied by beer with two free statements to free
the memory holding the string "Beer" and the
memory holding its node:
/• Get pointers to the previous end next */
prev_node » beer hunt->on_Previous;
next node s beer hunt- >on_ Next ;
/* Now set the previous one to point to the
next and visa versa V
prev_node->on Next * next_node;
if (next^node)
next_node->on .Previous « prev node;
free(beer_hunt->on. String);
free (beer hunt) ;
And that is it - an item removed from the middle or
the end of the list. It works for items at the end of
the list because their on_Next values are set to
zero, so in this case if beer was the last item, then
we would set the previous to point to the next
(which was zero) which re-terminates the list very
nicely for us.
The above code could easily be adapted to be
a more sensible routine, perhaps one which we
might call like this:
if (DeleteListltem(-Beer-) m 0)
printf( "Could not find Beer in the list\n");
In the same way we can remove items from a list;
it's just as easy to insert them, just by creating a
C PROGRAMMING -
READ ALL ABOUT IT!
Are you one of the many closet programmers
who want to dig deeper into C to uncover the
mysteries of this popular programming
language? Do you want to find out all there is
to know about programming in Amiga C, then
look no further... Complete Amiga C by Cliff
Ramshaw is here to change the world as you
know it. See page 82 for further details.
Complete Amiga C - £24.95
by Cliff Ramshaw
from Future Publishing ~ 0225 822 511
THE SHOPPING LIST LISTING
• SVER: shopping list. c 1.00 (22.4.94)
• By Toby Simpson, For Amiga Shopper
•
• To compile under SAS C type:
• sc shopping list. c link
*
• To compile under DICE typei
• dec shopping, list. c -o shopping list
•
• The program to run (From the shell) will be called "shopping_list
•include <stdlib.h>
•include <stdio.h>
•include <string.h>
•include < exec / exec . h>
•• Defin
it ions
< and global variables:
*/
struct
<
struct
OurNode
OurNode *on_Next;
struct
OurNode *on_Previous;
char
•on^String;
>;
printf ("Cannot allocate memory for list header \n");
return;
)
/* Set entire node contents to zero */
memset (shopping_list , 0, sizeof (struct OurNode));
while (idone)
<
/•
" Enter an item for the shopping list:
*/
printf ("Enter an item. Type 'quit' to exit end show the list\n">;
gets (input line) j
if ( 1 (stremptinput line, "quit")))
done - TRUE;
else
(
/•
*• A new Item to add!
•/
if (AddltemToListi input line) ■■ 0)
<
printf {"Ran out of memory, could not add item.Xn");
done ■ TRUE;
)
struct
OurNode
'•hopping list • NULL;
•* Show the list before exiting
•/
ShowItemListO;
/•
** Function prototypes:
*i
BOOL AddXtemToList (char 'input line);
void FreeltemList(void);
void ShowitemList (void) i
•• All done, free all
*• and then exit:
V
FreeltemListO;
ry occupied by our list
printf ("\nProgram PinishedXn") ;
*• Main function:
*/
void main(vold)
{
BOOL
char
done > FALSE;
input_line[256] ;
•• Create our first node to act as a list header
V
shopping list ■ malloc(sizeof (struct OurNode));
if (shopping list ■■ NULL)
{
return;
* BOOL
AddltemToLisUchar •input_line)
* Adds the supplied string to the end of the list. Returns TRUE for
* success, or FALSE for a failure.
•/
BOOL AddltemToLiet (char •input.line)
{
struct OurNode *new node;
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
C PROGRAMMING 79
new one. and then deciding which pair of nodes
you'd like to insert it between, and set the first
one's on_Next to point to the new node we're
inserting, and the next one's on_Previous value to
point to the new node also. Then we just set the
new nodes on_Next and on_Previous to point to its
new parent and child node.
Those of you who read last month's C
Programming will have been introduced to basic
sorting techniques, and examples of sorting a
simple list of names. Our list in that case did not
have any previous or next links; it was just an array
of character pointers. To insert a new string in the
middle would require finding the item to remove,
and then moving every item after it down one to
take up the space. If you wanted to remove the
first name in a list of several thousand, that could
take some time. With our node system, it's a
matter of simply bypassing the item to remove.
Anyway, to get back to the point of mentioning
sorting; those of you interested may realise that
sorting a list is just as simple, you don't move
anything, just move the on_Next and on_Previous
values around.
Amiga lists, as managed by the Exec are a little
more complex, but thankfully not much so. Amiga
lists are found everywhere: they are used to
manage pretty much every list of anything inside
A POINTER OR TWO ABOUT POINTERS
What are pointers? Well, in
data Is stored. In C you can
is that they are easy and quick
their very simplest form
specify what kind of data the
to manipulate. They are also
pointers point to something -
pointer points to. For example.
one of the major sticking
no, I'm not being patronising.
you might have the string
points for beginners, and one
A pointer Is a special kind of
"Hello World" somewhere In
of the simplest ways of
variable In C, and It contains a
memory, and set the pointer to
introducing nasty bugs Into
memory address where some
point to it. The joy of pointers
your program.
your computer, from a list of memory allocations to
lists of messages being passed between tasks. An
understanding of how they work will help you
greatly, as you'll find out. There are a whole group
of functions available in the exec. library especially
designed to deal with lists, including routines to
insert and remove items. Often, however, you'll find
that you might want to construct your own simple
lists, and the example below should give you some
ideas for this purpose. We've seen how our node
looks - what does the exec node look like? Pretty
much the same really, except it contains some
extra values for setting what sort of node it is, and
what priority the operating system will treat it as
(when dealing with your own lists, you don't need
to worry about either of these). The exec list
header is definitely a little more advanced than
ours, and not only points to the first item in the
list, but also the last, thus linking the whole thing
together at both ends which in some cases can be
extremely useful.
Have a good look at the include file
<exec/nodes.h> to see what an exec Node
structure looks like, and you can study the
exec. doc autodoc file to have a look at the list
handing functions, such as InsertO and Remove().
The includes and autodocs are available as part of
the Amiga Developer Update 3.1.
Next month we'll look at some of the most
common C programming pitfalls, discuss pointers
in much greater detail, and show examples of
where we might use them. 03
OurNode *eearch_ncxle;
•list.it.
struct
ch»r
*• Allocate memory for a node, and return if we could not.
•/
new node • malloc(sizeof (struct OurNode));
if (new_node n 0) return FALSE;
/*
•* Allocate memory for the list item (one byte more than the
** length of the string to take into account the zero at then
•• end of it)
•/
list.item ■ malloc(strlen(input line) ♦ 1);
if (list item — NOLL)
{
free(new_node);
return FALSE;
)
strcpy(list_item, input, line);
/•
•• Put the string pointer into our new node:
•/
new node->on_String ■ list item;
♦• Hunt down the end of the current list:
•/
search node ■ shopping list;
while (search_node->on_Next)
search node ■ search_node->on Next;
if ( shopping _ 1 1st - >on_Next )
(
/•
•• List items now in list
•/
list node * shopping. liat->on Next;
while (list node)
(
printf ("Item - \s\n", liet_node->on_String) ;
/• Move to next node in list '/
list node ■ list .node- >on Next;
}
)
else
print! ("No items in list\n-);
printf ("End of list\n");
return;
)
/
• void
P reel temLi at (void)
* Frees memory occupied by our list
•/
void PreeltemList (void)
{
struct OurNode "free, node;
struct OurNode *next_node;
int list_total ■ 0;
•* 'search node' is the last node in the list, insert us here
V
search node->on_Next * new node ;
new node->on Previous - search node;
new node- > on Next * NULL;
return TRUE;
void
ShowItemList (void)
free node ■ shopping. list;
while (tree node)
(
/* Fetch next item if any •/
next^node • free_node->on_Next;
/• Now kill this item */
free (free, node- >on String) ;
free(free_node);
/* And proceed to next */
free node ■ next node;
* Shows the items in the list on the console window.
•/
void ShowItemList (void)
<
struct OurNode "list node;
list total**;
) '
printf (-Memory freed, %ld item(s) were in the list.Vn", list_total-l) ;
return; )
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
80 USER GROUPS
Your at-a-glance guide to every Amiga user group in the v*or\d.
SOUTHEAST AND EAST
AddiwtQW 1-1 Amiga CluO. Contact Peter Duchett
tr 0932 855834 after 8pm.
Athford Kent Youth Computer Group. Contact Jim Fanning
« 0233 629804.
Banstead Limited Edition Software Contact Les. 28 Con-
gcroft Avenue. Banstead. Surrey SM7 3AE.
Brentwood Hermit Computer Club. Contact John Maynard
it 0277 218897.
Brighton Hanover Computer Club. Contact Colin Jones »
0273 602834
Bromtard Better Than Life. Contact Mark Waters. 7 Linton
Downs. Bromtard. Herefordshire HR7 4QT.
CamDertey Camheriey UKPr Group Contact F Wellbelove «
0252 871545.
Cambridge Cambndge Sixty-Eight Group (CASE). Contact
EPL Rowell « 0954 210692.
Chesham Beaconsfield and District CC. Contact Philip Lish-
man » 0494 782 298.
Clacton Cheapo PD Club. Contact Jason Meachen, Ivy Col-
lage, Gtiapel Road, Beaumont, ciacton. tssex C016 OAR.
Coulsdon The Crumblies. Contact Frank Barron « 081 668
Coventry Cov and Warb Commodore Computer Club. Con
tact Will Light • 0203 413 511.
Enfield Enfield Amiga Club. Contact Sean Clifton « 081
8042867
Folkestone Amiga 101. Contact D Cryer t» 0303 245 378.
Gerrards Crow Chic Computer Club. Contact Steve Winter
tr 0753 884473.
Hastings Computer Club. Contact » 0424 421480.
Horsham Amiga Zone. Contact Gareth and Raymond. 7
Swindon Road. Horsham, W. Sussex RH12 2HE.
Ipswich Not the Night. Contact Andrew, 8 Lanark Road. Ip-
swich. Suffolk IP4 3EH.
Lelgn-on-Sea Sensible. Contact M Street. 158 Hadleigh
Road, Leigh-on-Sea. Essex SS9 2LP.
Leigh-on-Sea The Swop Shop Club. Contact Ian Prentice tr
0702 710267.
London (East Ham) Amigaholics Club. Contact Kevin Bryan
tr 071-580 2000 Ext 240.
London (Hampstead Garden Suburb) Amiga Club. Contact
Imp • 081 455 1626.
London (Winchmore Hill) Access Information
Technology.Contact Darren » 0956 229729.
London Twilight. Contact 13 Mavis Court. Ravens Close,
London NW9 5BH.
Luton Luton Amiga Users Group. Contact Dave tr 0582
502806.
MKcham PD for Beginners. Contact M Macias. 48 Laven
der Grove. Mitcham. Surrey CR4 3HU.
Mundesley APDEG <Amiga Public Domain Exchange
Group).Contact Richard Brown « 0263 720868.
Newlngton Sittingboume Co-op Amiga Club. Contact Andy
« 0795 842608.
Norwich AGA Exchange. Contact K. Phillips. 18 Brownshill,
Cromer. Norwich NR27 OQA.
Norwich Magic Windows. Contact Frame, 26 St Benets
Road. Stalham, Norwich, Norfolk NR12 9DN.
Orpington ICPUG South East. Contact len Beard tr 0689
830 934.
Romford Digital Disk Amiga. Contact David Cowell » 081
590 2546.
Rye Rye Amiga Group. Contact Oliver Campion » 0797
222876.
Southampton Blitz programming Club. Contact mr D
Collins. 6 Bentley Green, Southampton S018 5GB.
Southend-on-Sea Southend Team. Contact « 0702
333974.
Sutton Agnus. Contact Philip Worrel. 115 Brocks Drive,
North Cheam. Sutton. Surrey SM3 9UW.
Thetford Blzart Disk mag. Contact Stephen Marghan, Tim-
berton House. The Mount. Buckenham Tofts. Thetford.
Norfolk IP26 5HP.
Thornton Heath AmigaBASIC club. Contact: Imran Ahmad
tr 081 689 9102.
Watford Hertfordshire Amiga Users Group. Contact Keith
Alexander « 081 421 1784.
West Watford AmigaSoc. Contact Neil Cartwnght tr 0923
248483.
Wltham Amiga Witham Users Group. Contact K Anderson
« 0376 518271.
Yarmouth Robotronix Amiga Club. Contact P Symonds
"0493 667161
SOUTHWEST
Bodmin Amiga Users Klub (Bodmin). Contact Jack Tailing.
1 Windsor House. 19 Castle St. Bodmin, Cornwall PL31
2DX.
Bournemouth Bournemouth Amiga Club. Contact P Cham-
berlain tr 0202 296714.
Bristol Avon Micro Computer Club. Contact Roger or Bob tr
or Fax 0272 311642.
Bristol Bristol Amiga Club. Contact 3 Parkstone Avenue,
Horfield. Bristol BS7 OBX.
Bristol EmuSoft. Contact Nalpex. 48 Longhandstones.
Cadbury Heath. Bristol BS15 5AP.
Bristol Game Swap Club. Contact Ade Ajidahun « 0272
240399
DuklnfleW C.C. Swapshop. Contact Tom Hampson tr 061
339 9488.
Exeter Exeter 16-bit User Group. Contact Andrew Deeley or
Phil Treby at 25A Gloucestershire Rd, Exwick. Exeter. EX4
2EF.
Reading Charlies PD. Contact Charles Read. 10 The
Cedars. Tilehurst. Reading, Berks RG3 6JW.
Salisbury CHUD. Contact Mr M Sellars « 0980 33154.
Taunton imagine Object Makers. Contact Charles Mo, 16
Calder Crescent, Taunton. Somerset TA1 2NH.
Torquay Ami-Info. Contact Paul Caparn. Homeside. Higher
Warberry Road. Torquay, Devon TQ1 1SF.
MIDLANDS
Birmingham 68000 in Birmingham. Contact Mike Bed
ford-White. 16 Westfield Rd. Acocks Green, B'ham B27
7TL.
Birmingham Software Exchange Service. Contact Michael
Pun « 021 459 7576.
Coventry Coventry and Warks Commodore Computer Club.
Contact Will Light tr 0203 413511.
Hereford Hereford Amiga Group Help. Contact John Mac-
donald » 0981 21414.
Loughborough BR & CJ Computer Club. Contact B Robin-
son tr 0392 72889 or 03922 841296.
Melton Mowbray Melton Amiga Users. Contact Stephen
Mowbray • 0664 63421.
Nottingham East Midlands Amiga User Group. Contact
Richard Haythom « 0602 298075.
SoHnutl Deluxe Cheats Disk User Group. Contact Steven
Frew. 96 Campden Green. Solihull. West Midlands B92
8HG.
Solihull Sid The Kid Amiga. Contact Sid Reeves, tr 021
705 8619.
Solihull Solihull Computer Users Group. Contact Rich or
Lee. 41 Leafield Road. Solihull. W. Midlands B92 8NZ.
Sutton-on-Sea Aden PD. Contact Den Rounding. 8 Prim-
rose Lane. Miami Beach, Trusthorpe Road, Sutton-on-Sea.
Lines LN12 2JZ.
Telford Shropshire Amiga Link. Contact N Cockayne tr
0952 591376.
Telford West Midlands Amiga Club. Contact Kevin Genner
Telford Snooker Centre. Canongate. Oakengates. Telford.
Shropshire.
Witney Cacophony (Unlimited). Contact Mark Wickson, 49
Perrott Close. North Leigh. Witney. Oxon 0X8 6RU.
NORTHEAST
Balby Warpdnve. Contact B Scales « 0302 859715.
Barnard Castle Amiga Users' Club. Contact Paul Kellett 67
Green Lane. Barnard Castle, County Durham DL12 8LF
Barnsley Amiga Programmers' User Group. Contact An-
drew Postill, 2 Selby Road. Newlodge. Barnsley. South
Yorkshire S71 1TA.
Catterlck Champion PD Club. Contact Steve Pickett, 31
Somerset Close. Cattenck. N Yorkshire DL9 3HE.
Cheeter-le-Street Chester le-Streel 16 Bit Computer Club.
Contact Peter Mears * 091 385 2939.
Darlington Darlington Commodore Users Club. Contact
Steve Wheatley, 1 Ruby St, Darlington, Co Durham DL3
OEN.
Darlington Jemsoft Amiga Users. Contact Danwood. 3
Cavendish Drive. Darlington, Co Durham DL1 2GQ.
Darlington Northern Amiga Users Group. Contact Chris
Wiles PO Box 151. Darlington. County Durham DL3 8YT.
Durham The Amiga Club. Contact G Starling, 31 Pine Lea,
Brandon, Durham DH7 8SR.
Harrogate Club 68000. Contact Chns Hughes » 0423
891910.
Houghton-le-Sprlng Club Amiga. Contact Chris Longley. 5
Bowes Lea, Shiney Row. Houghton Le Spring. Tyne and
Wear.
Kelghley Pennine Amiga Club. Contact Neville Armstrong *•
0535 609263.
Mlckley Nothing But AMOS Monthly disk magazine. Con-
tact Neil Wright -o 0661 842292.
North Berwick East Lothian Amiga Group. Contact Mr J
Curry 0620 2173.
Otely Hariey's PD Swaperama. Contact G Vamey • 0943
466896.
Rotherham Software City. Contact N Richards tr 0709
526092.
Sheffield Steel PD. Contact James Whitehead. 33 Middle
Cnffe. Drrve Crowedge, Sheffield S30 5HB.
Spalding TDM. Contact Gedney Marsh. Spalding. Lines.
Sunderland Blitter. Contact Philip Kruman, 213 Fordfield
Rd. Sunderland SR4 OHF.
Sutton-on-Sea Aden PD Club. Contact Den Rounding, 8
Primrose Lane. Miami Beach. Trusthorpe Road. Sutton-on-
sea. Lines LN12 2J2.
Tunstall The Amiga Studio. Contact Dave Rose tr 0782
815589.
Washington Mainly Amiga. Contact Ray Scott tr 416
9189.
Whrteley Bay Club Futura. Contact G Holland, 16 Hermis-
ton, Monkseaton, Whitley Bay. Tyne and Wear NE25 9AN.
NORTHWEST
Accrtngton New Hall Amiga Users Club. Contact Bill
Grundy tr 0254 385365.
Blackburn Blackburn Amiga Users Group. Contact Eric
Hayes tr- 0254 675625.
Blackpool Channel Z Diskmag. Contact Darren Busby, 3
Edelston Rd. Blackpool FY1 3HN.
Fleetwood Fylde Computer Club. Contact Colin Biss »
0253 772502.
Lytham St Anne* Amiga Users Group Part 2. Contact Andy
Wilkinson tr 0253 724607.
Oswaldtwlstle Hyndburn Amiga Users Club. Contact Nigel
Rigby tr 0254 395289.
Skelmersdale Computeque. Contact Steve Lalley • 0695
31378.
Stamford Under 18 Only. Contact Joe Locker « 0780
64388
SCOTLAND
Angus Angus Amiga CDTV club. Contact J Robertson •
0356 623072.
Bathgate Lothian Amiga Users Group. Contact Andrew
MackTe. 52 Birniehill Ave, Bathgate, W Lothian EH48 2RR.
Cowdenbeatrh Amiga FX. Contact Ryan Dow tr 0383 511
258.
Dundee T ay-Soft PD Club. Contact Dave Thornton » 0382
505437.
Dunfermline Dunfermline Sound & Vision Club. Contact
Stan Reed. 7 Maxton Place. Rosyth, Dunfermline, Fife
KY11 2DG.
Edinburgh Edinburgh Amiga Club. Contact Stephen Fradley
«031 555 1142.
Edinburgh Edinburgh Amiga Group. Contact Neil McRea.
37 Kingsknowe Road North. Edinburgh EH14 2DE.
Gl.ibfcow Amigd Helpline. Contact Gordon Keenan, Amiga
Helpline. 6 Skirsa Square, Glasgow G23.
Inverness Highland PD.Contact David Paulin v 0463
242431.)
iohnstone Using AMOS. Contact Colin McAllister • 0505
331342.
Perth Perth and District Amateur Computer Society. Con-
tact Alastair MacPherson 137 Glasgow Rd. Perth.
Redburn Redburn Computer Users Group. Contact Ruby
Anderson tr 0294 313624.
WALES
Bangor Amiga Maniacs. Contact Johnny, 8 Tarvy-Grais.
Caernarfon Rd. Bangor LL57 4SD.
Carmarthen Bloomfieid Video and Computing. Contact Mrs
Beryl Hughes tt 0267 237522.
Clwyd ShieldSoft PD. Write to 26 Doren Avenue. Rhyl,
Clwyd LL18 4LE, tr 0745 134 3044..
Clwyd Solo (Amiga). Contact Mike. 26 Doren Avenue. Rhyl.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
USER GROUPS 8 1
Clwyd LU8 4LE. • 0745 343044
Neath Amiga Navigation. Contact Dave Thomas 4a. Allister
St, Neath. W Glamorgan.)
Powys Blue Bedlam.. Contact Michael Grant » 0873
811791.
SPECIAL INTERESTS, BBSs
1020 Honor Group (ICPUQ) John DenUey » 06286
65932. (AS40)
1520 Plotter Group. Contact John Bentley » 06286
65932.
Amiga Buzz BBS. Contact David Clift on 0924 491 461.
Angus Amiga Musicians Club. Contact Gavin Wylie. Guthrie
Street, Carnoustie. Angus.
Atlantic Wave BBS * 0462 481745 (300 - 2400 baud
8N1) 24 hours a day.
Bosingatoho AMOS Programmers Exchange. Contact J
Lanng. r Majestic RO, Match Warren, Basingstoke, Hants
RG22 4XD.
Bktwell BBS. Contact SYSOP Mark Lunt Modem 0582 863
906.
Birmingham The Junction Box BBS. Contact mark Pegler w
021 321 2235.
Borders Teri-Odin BBS. Contact Derek Scott * 0450
73071.
Branston Fan Amiga Boatowners. Contact D Beet Lock,
Branston Fen. Lincolnshire LN3 5UN.
Braunston Nr Daventry GFA Basic Forum. Contact J Findlay
» 0788 891197
Braunston, Nr Daventry Amiga E Support Group. Contact
John Findlay • 0788 89119".
Oruadstalrs AMOS Piugraininei Club. Contact Gareth
Downes-Powell. 6 Brassey Avenue, Broadstairs, Kent CT10
2DS. |AS40»
Camberiey Independent Commodore Products Users
Group. Contact Fred Wellbelove • 0252 871545
Chelmsford Independent Commodore Products Users
Group. Contact David Elliott « 0245 328 737
Coventry independent commodore products users Group.
Contact Will Light « 0203 413511
Cumbria (Barrow-in-Furness) The Power Plant BBS. Con-
tact Neal Postlethwaite w 0229 431590.
Dublin Independent Commodore Products Users Group.
Contact Geoffrey Reeves » 010 353 1 288 3863
Exeter Independent Commodore Products Users Group.
Contact John Buckle » 0392 214760
Glasgow 24-bit Club. Contact Gordon Keenan, 24-bit Club,
6 Skirsa Square, Floor 1. Glasgow G23.
Glasgow Action Replay Users Club. Contact Gordon
Hagan. 66 Muirside Avenue, Kirkintilloch, Glasgow G66
3PR.
Hlghflelda CDTV User Group. Contact Gary Ogden. « 0785
227059.
Highlander BBS. Contact Alan Walker. Mark Price » 0452
384702 & 0452 384557.
Impulse BBS Contact James Norns « 081 698 8978.
UngfleW In Touch Amiga. Contact P Allen. 0342 835530.
PO Box 21, Ungfield. Surrey RH7 6YJ.
Liverpool Nickelodeon BBS. Contact SYSOPS Mark
Williams. Tony Ross • 051 709 8508 (Liverpool).
London (Richmond) Micro Academy. Contact Don Pavey
«081 878 1075.
London Independent Commodore Products Users Group.
Contact the Membership Secretary « 081 651 5436 (Fax
081 651 3428).
London On-Line Network BBS. Contact » 081 539 6763
(London).
Look Northwest BBS. Contact « 0282 698380 or 0282
619518.
Lothian Independent Commodore Products Users Group.
Contact Andy Ruddon 65 Drum Brae Terrace. Edinburgh
EH4 7SF.
Macclesfield Independent Commodore Products Users
Group. Contact Peter Richardson w 0298 23644
Maidenhead Independent Commodore Products Users
Group Contact Mike Hatt « 0753 645 728.
Manchester CDTV Users Club. Contact Julian Lavanini,
113 Fouracres Rd. Newali Green. Manchester M23 8ES.
Mid Thames Independent Commodore Products Users
Group. Contact Mike Hatt tr 0753 645728
New Whlttlngton Digital Music Club. Contact Roger Hunt
* 0246 454280.
Normanton BASIC Programmers' Group. ContactMark
Blackall » 0924 892106.
Plymouth Pilgrims BBS. Contact Jon Wickett « 0752 366
939.
Rochford Ray Tracers. Contact Neil Hailam. 12 Meesons
Mead. Rochford. Essex SS4 1RN.
Romford Phoenix Demo. Contact Frank » 081 597 4661.
Rotherham Marksman (Trojan Phazer user group). Contact
David Green. 67 Thicket Drive. Maitby. Rotherham, S York-
shire S66 7 LB.
Solent Independent Commodore Products Users Group.
Contact Anthony Dimmer » 0705 254969
South Mostly Harmugs BBS. Contact Lee Sanders « 0705
614 824.
South East Independent Commodore Products Users
Group. Contact Len Beard « 0689 830 934.
South Walee Independent Commodore Products Users
Group. Contact Mike Bailey » 0446 775287
South Wo»t Independent Commodore Products Users
Group. Contact Peter Miles » 0297 60339
Stevenage Independent Commodore Products Users
Group. Contact Brian Grainger « 0438 727925
Stoke-on-Trent independent Commodore Products Users
Group. Contact David Rose » 0782 815589.
Swindon Amiga Video Producers' Group. Contact J Strutton
» 0793 870667 before 9pm.
Swindon MUG - MED Users Group. Contact Richard Ban
nister, 6 Glevum Road, Stratton St Margaret, Swindon.
Wilts SN3 4AF.
System Ono BBS. Contact «" 0743 791501.
The Cartoon BBS. Contact the Bartman « 071 635 0592.
Thetford CD BBS. Contact Paul Morns « 0842 763639.
Trick or Treat II BBS. Contact Mark Meaney » 0703 391
797.
Wellington Bible Bureau.Contact AD « 081 669 7485.
Ware Gamer-Link. Contact Stu. 28 Churchfield. Ware.
Herts SG12 OEP.
Warlock BBS. Contact Mr Manglin « 031 659 5806
Warrington The CDTV Revolution. Contact Lee Beckett
» 0925 268819.
a
Watford Independent Commodore Products Users Group.
Contact Bob Rigby » 0923 264510
West Riding Independent Commodore Products Users
Group. Contact Kevin Morton » 0532 537318
Wlgan Independent Commodore Products Users Group.
Contact Brian Caswell « 0942 213402
Wltham Video Visuals. Contact Chris Brown. 4 Lavender
Close. Witham. Essex CM8 2YG.
Workington AMOS Programmers Group. Contact John
Mullen at 62 Lonssdale St, Workington. Cumbna CA14
2YD.
OVERSEAS
Australia Amiga Users Group of Western Australia. Con-
tact Bill Sharpe- Smith PO Box 595. Cloverdale WA 6105
Australia.
Australia Comp-U-Pal. Contact Comp-U-Pal. 116 Macarthur
Street. Sale. Victoria 3850. Australia.
Belgium AUGFL vzw. Contact Lieven Lema, Meesberg 13,
3220 Hoisbeek, Belgium.
Denmark Danish AMOS user group. Contact Tom Poulsen.
DABG. postbox 127, 2640 Hedehusene. DK Denmark.
France 16-32 Micro. Contact F Moreau. 132 rue Jean Fol
lain. 50000 Saint-Lo. France » 315220 02.
France Maritime Amiga Club. Contact CDR K Osei. GN
Ships Refit Office. 51 Rue de la Bretonmere. 50105 Cher-
bourg. France. • 33 33225447.
Germany Royal Air Force Amiga Club. Contact Stan Young.
HMF RAF Laarbruch. BFPO 43.
Germany Worldwide PD Club. Contact Dave White. Berliner
Strasse 39. 40880 Ratingen. Germany » 02102 499729
(Germany).
Gibraltar Gibraltar Amiga Users Club. Contact David
Winder. 7 Lime Tree Lodge. Montagu Gardens. Gibraltar
« 010 350 79918.
Greece Amiga Athens club. Contact Stefanos Pa-
pamichael. 9 Derfeld Rd. Patisla, 11144 Athens, Greece w
01/2027973.
Greece Amiga Pros User Group Greece. Contact Stefanos
Siopoulos. 52 Silivrias Str.. N. Smyrni 17123. Athens.
Greece. » 01/9349963.
India Indian Amiga Friends. Contact Bilal. 46 Paragon 405
Lokhandwaza Complex, Andheri (W). Bombay-400058.
Ireland Amiga Addicts. For info SAE to A Minnock.
Clonkelly. Binn. Co Offary. Ireland.
Ireland AMOS Users.Contact Brian Bell. 8 Magnolia Park.
Dunmurry. Belfast BT17 ODS.
Ireland City Centre Amiga Group. Contact Patrick Chap-
man. 70 Bailygall Crescent, Finglas East. Dublin II, Ireland.
» 345035.
Ireland CUGl Commodore Users Group of Ireland. Contact
Geoffrey Reeves, c/o St Andrew's College. Booterstown
Avenue. Blackrock, Co Dublin. « +353 1 288 3863.
Ireland Navan Computer Club. Contact Manx Arnold, Can
nistown. Navan, Co Meath, Eire » 046 21078.
Ireland Northside Amiga Group. Contact William Kelling.
10/A Rainsford Avenue. Dublin 8. Ireland « 01 532 807.
Ireland Software Exchange Club. Contact Michael Lacey,
Fern's Post Office. Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. Republic of
Ireland.
Malta HTS (Malta). Contact K Cassar. Block 1 Rat. 6 H E
Hal-Tmiem. Zejtun ZTN07 Malta » 674023.
Malta Malta Amiga Ctub. Contact Zappor. PO Box 39. St
Julians, Malta, tr 440453
N Ireland N. Ireland Amiga User. Contact Stephen Hamer.
98 Crebilly Rd. Ballymena, Co Antrim BT42 4DS.
N Ireland Digital Intensity (diskmag). Contact Simon Den-
vir, 40 Old Cave Hill Rd. Belfast BT15 5GT.
Portugal Software Asylum. Contact Sid Samdres, Apartado
6156. 3000 Coimbra. Portugal « (Portugal) 062 831 566.
Singapore Singapore Sling. Contact Eric Chai ML, Block 4
#14-413, Pandan Valley, Singapore 2159, t» 65
4680630.
Sweden 32-bit ware. Contact 32-bit ware, Ekorrstigen 10,
147 63 Tumba, Sweden.
USA Japan Amiga Group.Contact: Rick Gardaya, PSC 78
Box 3876. APO AP 96326 USA.
Note: this list is provided as a free service for amateur,
non profit-making user groups. Amiga Shopper does not
endorse or recommend any particular group and cannot
be held responsible for any losses or problems.
WE NEED YOU - SEND IN YOUR DETAILS!
Amiga Shopper wants a truly comprehensive list off all the Amiga user groups worldwide. If
your user group isn't listed on this page, please fill in the form below - we need youl Send
to Amiga Shopper User Groups List, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath BA1 2BW.
USER GROUPS
AS39
GROUP NAME:
CONTACT NAME:
CONTACT TEL
CONTACT ADDRESS:
Please Tick:
D Southeast and East
□ Midlands
□ North West
□ Wales
NEW ENTRY
D Southwest
□ North East
□ Scotland
D Special Interests, BBSs
H UPDATED ENTRY
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
AMIGA
DESKTOP
l VIDEO
The Amiga Is the world's premier low-
Cost graphics workstation. But Its
basic power, built-in expandability and
ever-widening range of quality soft-
ware and add-ons mean it's capable
of highly professional results. All it
takes is the know-how...
Amiga Desktop Video shows you how to:
• Title your own videos
• Record animations
• Mix computer graphics and video
• Manipulate Images
...and much, much more
The author. Gary Whiteley. Is a professional vldeographer and Amiga Shopper
magazine s tame' desktop video expert. In this book he explains desktop video
from the ground up - the theory, the techniques and the tricks of the trade.
Includes a comprehensive glossary to help you unravel desktop video
jargon and terminology
AMIGA
SHOPPER PD
DIRECTORY
Commercial software Is expensive.
Which is why more and more users
are turning to the public
domain/shareware market for their
software. You can build a huge
Amiga software library for the
price of a couple of commercial
packages!
But first you need to know
what software Is available. And
then you need to know what It
does. And then you need to
know whether It's any good.
How do you find this out? You find out here!
The Amiga Shopper PD Directory has been assembled from the first 30
Issues of Amiga Shopper magazine. All the PD/shareware reviews since
Issue one have been collated, compiled and Indexed in a single 500-page
volume.
Programs are divided Into categories, reviewed and rated. We name the
original suppliers of the programs and we've also included a directory of cur-
rant suppliers at the back of the book.
Get this book and save yourself £££s!
ULTIMATE AMOS
Explore the full potential of AMOS with easy-
to-understand descriptions, diagrams and
dozens of example AMOS routines. AH you
need to produce your own Amiga games Is
a smattering of BASIC knowledge. AMOS
and this book!
• Learn essential
programming principles
• Master screens and scrolling
• Find out how to handle
sprites and bobs'
• Incorporate sound and music
In your games
• Discover dozens of handy AMOS
routines for incorporating Into
your own programs
400 pages packed with all the Information you need
to get the best out of the Amiga's ultimate games
creation package!
Includes a disk containing all the routines and programs printed In the book, plus four
skeleton stand-alone games.
Includes
i packed
floppy disk
GET THE MOST
OUT OF YOUR
AMIGA 1993
If you've got an Amiga, you've got the
world's most powerful, versatile and cost-
effective computer. If ft can be done a
computer. It can be done on the Amiga.
But getting started in comms. desktop
publishing, music or any other area of
computing is difficult If you don't have a
friendly guide.
This book is your guidel It
covers every Amiga application, from
desktop video to programming, from
games to music, explaining the Jar-
gon, the techniques and the best software and
hardware to buy. And...
Includ
two packed
floppy disks
Discover the Amiga's history
Get to grips with Workbench.
Find out about printers,
hard disks, RAM. floppy disk drives
and accelerators
Learn useful AmigaDOS commands
PLUS 2 disks of top Amiga utilities!
You can save £10 on the price of this book If you buy It at the same time as Ultimate
AMOS - see the form on the right for details.
Future books are written by the very same people
who write your favourite Amiga magazines.
So you know you can count on the very best, from
our money saving PD Catalogue or our guide to C
Programming. The finest Amiga books you can buy.
Includes
four packed
floppy disks
COMPLETE AMIGA C
Here, In one single package, Is everything you need
to start programming In C. All the Information you
need, all the explanations, all the Jargon-busting,
all the documentation AND all the software!
Getting started In C programming has never
been easier than this!
• Learn the basics of C programming with this
300-page book by Cliff Ramshaw, editor of
Amiga Shopper magazine
• Write and compile your own programs using
the full version of top shareware C compiler
DICE, provided with the book
• Explore all the compilers features with the
on-dlsk documentation
• Exploit your Amiga's special features using
the version 1,3 and version 2 Commodore
'includes'and libraries' also provided (these are
compatible with version 3 machines but will
not provide version 3 features)
Everything you need to get started In C programming on the Amiga Is right here at a fraction of
the price of a commercial package
THE POCKET
WORKBENCH
AND
AMIGADOS
REFERENCE
How do you copy files? How do you
format floppy disks? How do you
move things from one folder to
another?
If you've just got your
Amiga. Workbench and AmlgaDOS
can be confusing - unless you've
got expert help on hand:
• Understand Workbench menu options
• Customise Workbench for your needs
• Make the most of the supplied Tools,
Utilities and commodities
PLUS For more advanced users there's a full AmlgaDOS 2 & 3 command
reference, listing all the commands In alphabetical order and quoting func-
tion, syntax and examples. Learn how to really drive your Amiga!
This pocket-sized book contains the essential AmlgaDOS reference sec-
tion from "Get The Most Out of Your Amiga" In a rlngbound, handy edition -
as well as much, much more.
Future Books Priority Order Form
Your name
Your address
Please send me (tick as appropriate):
□ Get the Most out of your Amiga 1 993 FLB009A
' Save £ 1 01 You can buy this book at the reduced price of
£9.95 if you ord*i II In conjunction with Ultimate AMOS (below)
Postcode
Your signature
£19.95
Ultimate AMOS
FLB025A
£19.95
a
Pocket Workbench & AmigaDOS Reference
FLB017A
£9.95
Complete Amiga C
FLB106A
£24.95
a
Amiga Desktop Video
FLB084A
£19.95
a
Amiga Shopper PD Directory
FLB1UA
£14.95
Amount enclosed £
(Make cheques payable to Future Publishing Ltd. )
All prices include postage and pocking
Method of payment (please tick one): VISA ACCESS D CHEQUE POSTAL ORDER □
CARD NUMBER
A I'
I (1 Expiry date:
Tick if you do not wish to receive direct moil from other companies
credit card hotline
Now send this form and your payment to Future Book Orders, Future Publishing Ltd, Freepost (BS4900), Somerton, Somerset TA11 7BR
You will not need a stamp when you post this order and postage and packing are free. There are no extra costs. Please allow 28 days for delivery.
84 PUBLIC DOMAIN WORLD
This month Graeme Sandiford introduces yet
another fine selection of Public Domain
software. Build up your collection of serious
software for next to nothing.
H
ello once again all you Amiga bargain
hunters. We have another tine selection of
free, or nearly-free Amiga-software. Are
you looking for serious utilities, a guide to
Hollywood's best films, or a conversion program
that can handle anything from a JPG to Super
Nintendo Mode 7 graphics, look no further - we
even have a bit of ancient Greek poetry. We also
have an interview with Marcus Wilson, one of the
people behind 17 Bit Software - the biggest PD
supplier In the UK and probably Europe.
SEA SENSE
Essex Computer Systems £4 (llcenseware)
While it may be true that "in Space no-one can hear
you scream." your chances of being heard are not
improved very much if you run into difficulty while at
sea. In fact, the best way to improve your chances
of survival is not to scream "help" and run around
wildly with your hands in the air. Rather, you should
concentrate your efforts on learning what to do in
such a situation before going to sea.
Sea Sense might just save your life. No, you're
not born with it. Sea Sense is the Amiga equivalent
of those thin books with badly-drawn illustrations.
found in most school libraries, that attempt to
prepare you for the dangers of life on the high-
seas. It takes the form of an interactive tutorial,
complete with sounds and graphics.
It covers one of the things I wanted to learn as
a kid. flag signals. It also covers morse code,
marine law, navigation, weather, equipment and
sound signals.
The morse code section provides a listing of
the alphabet, along with the corresponding
sequence of dots and dashes. This is much the
same as you might find on a pair of children's
walkie-talkies.
Another childhood-ambition, shared by most
boys, is to be able to tie fancy sailing knots. The
section on knots contains diagrams and
instructions that explain how to make them. The
diagrams comprise stages of how to tie the knot
with a caption for each stage.
Marine law is more confusing than you might at
first expect. It*s not Just a matter of keeping under
6 knots in built-up areas. There are all sorts of
registrations, licenses, certificates of competence,
insurance and customs rules you need to acquire
and comply with. For example, on an inland
waterway it's illegal to travel at a speed that will
cause excessive wash that could damage the bank.
Another requirement you need to comply with is the
minimum lighting configuration - you need to have
a variety of lights fixed to your craft in several
specific positions.
There are also some useful guidelines
concerning the basic equipment you should take
with you when going to sea. It includes details of
the type of fire extinguisher you should bring. It's
amazing how many different anchors there are:
there's the fisherman - the one you'll see most
often in pictures (for use in gravel or shingle); the
CQR (for mud or sand); the Danforth (all purpose);
and the Smith (also all purpose).
There is an extensive area devoted to
navigating. It explains the differences between the
types of buoys you might encounter and how to
interpret what their positions and colours mean. It
also details the navigating and charting equipment
you will need and how to use them effectively.
The package is not intended to be a complete
guide to all things nautical but does include some
useful and interesting information. My only gripe is
that the diagrams could have been a little more
detailed, and I did experience some difficulty when
trying to get the sound signals to work. The tutorial
is definitely worth a look if you are considering
taking to the sea or travelling inland. It's also
useful if you plan on visiting a tough sailor's pub -
explaining the difficulties you are having with your
Gimballed compass is always a good ice-breaker.
Program Rating 74%
VARK'S CLI DISK NO.4
Roberta Smith DTP
I reviewed disk 3 of Vark's CU-only collection of
programs in issue 36. and was suitably impressed
by the quality of the programs on offer. Disk IV
makes an attempt to maintain this high standard.
One thing you might like to bare in mind is that, as
the programs are CU-only. you'll need to
understand a little bit about enter CLI options to
get the best out of them. However, it is very simple
and should only take a little experimentation or
research on your part. You can even create your
own icons for some of the programs.
This disk has a leaning towards AGA -fixes; it's
good to see programs that appear to fill in the gaps
created by incompatibility problems. Runlt Version
1.2 is one such program. It's charityware, so if you
find it useful the author would ask you to make a
contribution to a charity. The program has a
number of options for improving compatibility
between games and utility bootblocks. and faster
and newer Amigas. You can use the Screenblank
option to stop that irritating screen corruption you
sometimes get with older games and demos.
FakeFast is another version of FakeMem. This
option will fool programs into thinking that you have
512K of chip RAM and 512K of fast RAM. This is
for use with machines with 1Mb of chip RAM, like
500+s and 600s. You can also choose between
PAL and NTSC display modes. OldKick will attempt
to emulate 1.x KickStart values. There is also an
option that enables you to choose which chipset
you want your machine to emulate - if you have an
AGA-machine you can emulate both the ECS and
OLD chipsets. There are also other options
available, but the program doesn't really offer much
BEGINNERS START HERE
One of the most confusing aspects of looking for
good PD Is the enormous variety. There are all
sorts of software categories: shareware,
freeware, charityware, and even giftware. So
here's a quick list of the categories of programs
you are likely to encounter in the PD World.
• PD stands for Public Domain. It's the most
widely available kind of software discussed in
this section of the magazine. It's basically free;
the only condition is that the program and
associated files are unaltered and are distributed
together. You should only expect to pay a
nominal fee for disk duplication, postage and the
library owner's time and effort.
• The idea behind shareware Is simple - It gives
users the chance to try before they buy. Often
the shareware version of a program Is limited,
with a few functions disabled. When the user is
happy the program Is suited to his needs, he can
register and then receive the full version.
• Ucenseware Is of higher quality than PD but is
on the other hand cheaper than registered
shareware. There Is no registration fee to be
paid, but the author receives a royalty payment.
• Freeware Is free. In essence it is pretty much
the same as PD but you can do with ft as you
will. Again, only a nominal fee can be charged.
• You may well be wondering: "If I And a useful
program In the Public Domain can I make a copy
for my best mate?" The answer, on the whole, is
yes. But you definitely can't distribute registered
shareware or llcenseware.
• Giftware is a nice idea; sometimes an author
may ask you to send a gift if you find his or her
program useful. This is usually something along
the lines of a postcard of your home town.
• Charityware is another extremely well-
intentioned form of software. The author of a
piece of charityware will ask you to make a
donation to a charitable organisation.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
PUBLIC DOMAIN WORLD 85
PUBLIC PERSONALITY
MARCUS WILSON OF 17-BIT
started coming out. A lot of
On the Amiga side we have
SOFTWARE
people were actually bundling
approximately 52,000.
1 7 Bit Software are probably
them with the machines. It
one of the largest PD houses
was the only stuff that showed
What do you think of the
In Europe. They have also
off what the Amiga could do,
future of the PD market: Is tt
branched out Into producing
and it really all stemmed
moving more towards serious
commercial games. They
from there.
software or Demos?
stock an Impressive range of
There Is a big debate going on
both floppy-based and CD-ROM
Do think being a larger than
about this; PD floppy sales
PD. In fact the collection can
average PD has Improved your
have been falling; all the
be obtained in the form of CD-
contact with the average user.
libraries are saying the same
ROMs. We had a word with
or has it perhaps distanced
thing. It's going more towards
Marcus Wilson to get his view
you a little?
CDs, and more and more It's
on the Amiga PD scene.
As far as the people who
turning to shareware. Instead
actually create the software
of the old PD releases, we are
1 understand you have been
are concerned, we are In
getting more shareware
established since 1988. Back
regular contact. The better
utilities and games. Demos
then, what prompted you to
known we become, the more
have been very thin on the
start a PD library?
stuff we can distribute and the
ground for quite a while now.
Back then. It was like a venue
further afield we can distribute
*
market. There was a growing
rt. At the end of the day that's
You can contact 17-bit on w
number of Amiga-users, but
what most customers want.
0924 366982. or write to
not much In the way of
them at 1st Floor Offices, 2/8
software that really showed off
How many members do you
Market Street, Wakefield,
the machine. Then the demos
have at present?
West Yorkshire WF1 1DH.
more than options available on bootup if you have
a 1200 or 4000.
BigAnlm was also reviewed in issue 36; in fact,
it was on the coverdisk as well. It really is a
fantastic utility - essentially what it does is play
back animations from your hard disk. This can
facilitate the playing back of animations that are
larger than your available memory. There are
several options that can be controlled from the CLI
that can be altered to improve the playback of your
files, such as the buffersize etc.
One aspect of the Amiga's flexible interface
that is sometimes overlooked is the Keymaps. If
you've not seen them before, have a quick look in
your Devs/Keymaps directory on your Workbench
disk. Keymaps sit between the keyboard and the
Amiga to tell your computer how to interpret each
keystroke you make. EditKeys is a program that
has been designed to edit these files. You can
redefine any key you choose; so for example, you
could moke the computer register each press of
the [r] key as the letter b. The program can also be
used to define Deadkeys. these are the keys that.
when pressed, produce no output of their own.
Instead they alter the output of keys that are
pressed immediately afterward. Modifiable Keys
are the keys that can be altered by pressing
deadkeys. By far the most useful key type that can
be edited are String keys. You can assign up to 32
characters to each keystroke. This can be used in
a similar way to text macros and can save a great
deal of typing. This is especially useful for
programmers. The program itself is very easy to
use and you will soon be producing your very own
custom Keymaps in no time at all.
Bootfile and FD-BICS are two programs that
perform basically the same function; they can both
be used to create boot intros. A boot intro is a
small program that is placed in the bootblock of a
disk - as a result, when someone boots from this
disk, the program is automatically run. Most of
these are usually messages, but they also perform
another useful function. The bootblock of a disk is
also the same place that bootblock-viruses hide
themselves. As both the program and virus cannot
share the bootblock, you will know if a virus is
present if the message fails to appear {the boot
intro will have been overwritten by the virus). Both
programs are simple enough to use, and the boot
intros can be fun as well.
CheckDrive will also help in the fight against
bootblock viruses. It simpiy checks the bootblock
of specified disk for a bootblock virus. That's it,
easy eh?
DiskSalve 2 has also been included in this
collection, it was reviewed in issue 36 as well. It's
a practically indispensable utility that can be used
to repair damaged disks and salvage lost files.
Just a couple of years ago life was pretty
simple as far as music tracker programs were
concerned, but now you cannot turn around without
bumping into a different tracker module format.
There is an oddly-named conversion program in this
collection called Perverter 1.12. It can handle
several formats including: NoiseTracker, ProRunner
1+2, Promizer 1+2, Protracker 2.1, Silents-Tracker,
Kris-Tracker and, amongst others, the
LaxityTr acker. Yes that's right - the LaxityTracket*
The interface is simple to use; you just select
the module you wish to convert, load it and then
select its format type from the list and. hey
presto, it's converted. However, be warned; if you
select the wrong filetype the program is likely to
crash horribly.
- Ml
T5E
ti«»i. !*•<.<•* f»t GT
^auu
':'
u« ci
■toil I mrrtM
f" PTKHI
:: GS""
— proem
I— pram
I** Pfttfll
I— ram
B~ pfftCfSl
& or
I" Kttm
fc 13"
I— »ro(»«
— (TKHt
>wlct» I ImwtcwI
«Slf;r ,M
ftmxHttttr
mar
ru
ten.
l»|ytwt»l NcUrt I
*»!■ I l«fc»
. JttiMti
J.
Discover the secret-life of your Amiga. The Amiga
RealTlme Monitor can be used to keep an eye on
what goes on Inside your computer.
l-|Hr|
li!<l!LJ ICa JHJ jnj jql
ic
U£
*£
F«dHI«> |
■ »■»'»» 1
The Boot File Loader Is a program with two uses.
It can be used to display messages at bootup. The
other use Is to stop the spread of viruses.
If you own, or have access to. a Photo CD
capable CD-ROM drive, PCOfo/FF will be of interest
to you. It can convert Photo CD images to IFF
format so you can use them in an Amiga paint
package or image processing software. You can
specify both the image's converted resolution and
colour depth. It's possible to convert images up to
a massive size of 2048x3072 pixels. But. be
warned, you will need a heck of a lot of memory
(approximately 24Mb).
The anim5 animation format has been around
for some time now and is getting a little long in the
tooth. MakeAnim7 will transform your drab, slow-
moving animations into new, whiter-than-white
anim7 files. The main advantage of using anim7
files is that they are faster and smoother than their
anim5 counterparts. This increase in playback
speed does not come without cost; the drawback
is a smaller compression ratio and hence larger
files. If you have seen an anim7 file running. I am
sure you'll agree that the increase in file size is
worth it. The one problem you may encounter is
that some programs such as DPaint etc cannot
display these files; there are. however, a few PD
programs which can, such as ViewTek for example.
You may not have thought so, but your Amiga
leads a very secretive life. There are all sorts of
things going on behind the scenes. ARTM's (Amiga
RealTime Monitor) mam joy in life is exposing these
secret things. ARTM can be used to examine all
sorts of things, such as your machine's memory,
open windows, devices, assignments and vectors.
It gives access to the windows (or screens) that
are being used by active programs, and gives you
the chance to close them or receive more
information about them. Included in this
information are things like the current size and
position, menu items, the fonts it uses, maximum
and minimum heights and widths, as well as the
mouse pointer that is being used.
You can also obtain a list of assigned
directories, resident commands and libraries. As
well as being informed of what is being used, you
can edit or remove certain ones, such as removing
libraries or devices that are being used. This really
is a useful program to have in your software
collection, as you can get detailed information on
how your computer's resources are being utilised.
To get the most out of the program, you do need a
substantial amount of knowledge about how the
Amiga works, but it can also be fun just poking
around your machine's insides.
All in all, this a pretty good collection of
programs, however, it doesn't quite meet the high
standard set by disk number three. It still has
some very useful programs and should be of
interest to anybody who would like to make the
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
86 PUBLIC DOMAIN WORLD
GRAEME'S
RATING BOX
The world of Amiga PD contains an Incredible
amount of good programs, but it also has its
fair share of poorly-written software. So, In
order to help you in sifting through the
available software, we have given each of the
programs and collections ratings.
As in the rest of the magazine, we give PD
products a percentage rating. Anything that
receives a rating of 80 per cent, or more, is
worth taking a look at. If it gets more than 85
per cent, then it should be added to your
collection at the earliest opportunity. Disk
compilations are given a Product Rating, as
they are valued collectively. Individual
programs are given a Program Rating.
most of their Amiga's abilities.
Product Rating 82%
DIGIPIX
John Leaver (£3.50)
Have you watched, or seen TV-footage of. a couple
of otters frolicking in a stream or pond? It warms
your heart to see those cute little animals enjoying
themselves. In a similar vane of furriness and all-
around cuteness. Digipix is a collection of digitised
pictures of animals and birds. There is also the
possibility, if the animal range proves popular, that
plants and famous buildings will be released.
The sample disk I was reviewing contained a
mixed selection of birds and animals. Among the
featured creatures are: a chimpanzee, gull, sea
eagle, lion, a lilac-breasted roller, and others.
The images themselves have been digitised in
colour, and can be included in any presentations
etc without charge. However, they are not PD and.
as a result, they can't be distributed. The quality of
the images, as a whole, are quite good, but some
appear a little blurred and heavily pixelated. It is
also a shame that the images are only of standard
HAM-mode. It would have been better if they were
in both HAM-8 and normal HAM. as this would
make them useful for standard and AGA-Amiga
users. The example disk contained 10 images and
you can expect between 7 and 12 images on the
disks. There are currently 20 disks in the
collection, with more on the way.
If would like to sample these images you can
send a cheque, for £3.50 per disk, to; John Leaver,
99 Ibsley Gardens, London. SW15 4LX.
Program Rating 76%
[BICt VI .1 FD
92 R.rischlin
Boot Intro Construction Set
MOVIEGUIDE
On-line PD
MovieGuide. as you might suspect already, is a
database with information about films. In fact the
program also includes information about TV-series.
The program is pretty simple to use; it is similar to
most types of databases where you have a search
facility. To find the film you are searching for. you
can either input the title of the film, name of the
director, or one of the names of the cast.
To speed up your search, you can restrict the
search areas to either films or TV-series. The
search can be restricted to countries - the ones
you can select are: USA/UK. Denmark, Europe, or
a combination of all 3. To further reduce the search
time, you can also select the film's genre. The
categories you can select are: documentary,
musical, western, family, animated, comedy,
horror, sci-fi/fantasy, action and drama. Once
again, you can also choose to search through all of
the categories at once.
In the present version, the information is a
little sketchy to say the least. The only facts that
are included are the title, director, and the major
UyfcWwi Uri
This is the colourful interface to the Boot Intro
Construction Set. You can use it to create more of
those interesting boot intro messages.
EdltKeys can be used to edit Keymaps. These files
are what the Amiga uses to find out what
character to generate for which keystroke.
members of the cast. Once you have found the
information you have been searching for. you can
sort the films by year, name or genre. You are also
given the opportunity to print out the information -
you can choose whether this will be the list of films
you requested, or the details of a film you have
selected.
In operation the database is very intuitive to
use. but I did encounter difficulties when searching
for one or two films. For example, the program was
unable to find a listing for Star Trek - oddly though,
if you perform a search for William Shatner or
Leonard Nimoy. the database will list the Star Trek
films and TV-series.
This is a promising program. It has 14,000
entries and its search facility is very fast, but it is a
shame that there is not more descriptive
information about each entry, although an update
with plot descriptions is promised. If the bugs are
ironed-out, this would be a excellent program - as
it stands, it is only interesting.
Program Rating 67%
HDM2
Essex Computer Systems
It's all very well having the additional storage space
and speed of a hard disk, but it can sometimes be
a real chore when digging through directory upon
directory when you wish to run a program. One
solution is to purchase a commercial program such
as Directory Opus, but these can be very
expensive. HDM (Hard Drive Menu) 2 attempts to
provide quick and easy access to your more
frequently used applications.
The first incarnation of HDM was quite
promising, but was extremely sluggish. This was
due. at least in part, to the fact that it was created
in CanDo. The creators of HDM now have the
technology to rebuild it and make it much stronger
and faster. The program does indeed seem to have
some form of bionic implant as it races along, it
has actually been rewritten in C to increase its
speed.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the
way HDM works, it provides a menu (under the
Tools heading on your Workbench screen) with
some of the applications you've placed there.
Alternatively, you can choose to have your
applications displayed as buttons in a window. To
execute an application, all you have to do is click
on its corresponding button and it will be launched
automatically. Adding programs is easy as well. All
you have to do is drag the application you wish to
add over the HDM window and it will be added to
the next available button or menu space. If you run
out of space in the current window or menu, you
can carousel the windows. You can the move
between different sets of buttons by either clicking
on next or previous.
HDM 2 is certainly an improvement over its
first version, particularly in the speed department.
In reality though. HDM doesn't do anything that
couldn't be done with ToolsDeamon or, my
personal favourite. ToolManager. I also
encountered a few problems when the program was
installed on my A4000. Almost every-other time I
installed a program to a button, the computer
would crash. The A4000 would also crash after re-
booting when it reached HDM in the startup. It is
an improvement, but if you already have
ToolManager, or similar, it's probably not worth
ordering this program.
Program Rating 61%
TRONI-CAD
Barkln' Mad (PD Disk 1315)
Troni-CAD is yet another electronic circuit designer,
this one has been written in AMOS. One of the
program's most impressive features is its high
resolution (up to a maximum of 1000x900). It
achieves its high resolution display by
automatically scrolling the screen in response to
your mouse movements. This can be a little
confusing at first, especially when trying to pull
down menus, but you soon get accustomed to it.
The program has most of the drawing tools you
would expect from a circuit designer or a drawing
package. It can draw straight lines, circles, a
variety of boxes, arrows and selection of electronic
symbols. The symbols that are built into Troni-CAD
are far from extensive, and even appears more
than a little pathetic when compared with the likes
of ProCAD (reviewed in issue 37 - turn to page 62).
However, it does allow for the importation of saved
blocks from a library that is extended by saving a
schematic as a block. The advantage of this
system is that you can save a large area of a
circuit; for example, you could save a diagram of
sampler, and then reload it into another schematic,
say a radio - this can make it easier to integrate
different types of circuits.
Most of Troni-CAD 's items are recorded as
individual objects - this means they can be edited
later on. This can save time if you want to create a
similar object - you can just duplicate the item and
then make the necessary adjustments to it rather
than starting from scratch, or saving the item as a
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
PUBLIC DOMAIN WORLD 87
You may have already taken a
look at our Interview with 17-Bit
Software - one of Europe's
largest Amiga PD suppliers.
They have a huge collection of
disks, which Is around the 5,000 mark. If you
take this number of disks and lay them end-to-
end, they will reach a length of 17,500 inches.
This Is almost one and a half times the height
of the Eiffel Tower (11,808 Inches). Wow!
block and then reloading it.
When you are happy with your design, you can
print it out. Troni-CAD has three printing modes to
choose from; you can print in normal, artwork or
enlarged mode. Other preferences you can set
include: the definition of the screen (the
resolution): the number of pixels the pointer will
move across the screen; the background colour;
and whether you want a border or not.
The program serves its purpose; to help you
create schematics of circuit design. It could be
improved - it could do with a larger library of
symbols in particular, but it is easy to use and is
capable of producing complex images.
Program Rating 76%
Andromeda 40 !"*$%£'(>"
♦,-./0123456789:;<=>?@A3
CDEFGHIJKLmnOPQRiLU
V\VXYZ[\r_'cibcdeFghijkl
mnopqrituvwxyzfl}"
r s
If you are not sure which fonts you have Installed
on your Amiga, you can easily run PrFont and It
will display all of them for you.
IUNOIS PROFESSIONAL 3
Essex Computer Systems (license ware)
llinios Professional was once a commercial
program that has now been released as
licenseware. It's a label printing program, and
comes with several example files for creating
labels for floppy disks, video and audio cassettes
and even recipe cards. It has a useful hot-key
facility that can be used to control most functions
of the program and your printer. It has the usual
database and mail-merge functions, as well as the
ability to create customised reports. One of its
more unusual abilities is speech - it can read out
letters, words, field names, or even a whole record.
The complete system comes on two disks: the
program disk, and data disk. The data disk also
contains the documentation, the converter
program, merger program and configuration files,
///no/'s' documentation is quite extensive, but would
definitely benefit from being in the form of an
AmigaGwde document. The documentation is split
between several files which can definitely make
finding the area of text you are looking for quite
time-consuming.
Ilinois ' configuration program gives you access
to several areas of the program's operations.
Under the reporting menu you can specify page
width, lines per page, margins, double spacing,
form feeds, header options, print style and whether
there is a pause between each page. The mail-
merge options are similar to the reporting options,
but also includes a series of commands that can
be included in your mail-merge documents. These
can include things such as addresses, telephone
numbers and dates. Among the speech options are
whether or not you wish the program to speak each
word, each character, each space, each deletion,
fieldname, selected records, or even the status
panel. The program has its own speech driver
which can be fine-tuned until you are happy with its
sound. You can alter its frequency, give it a
"natural" or robotic inflection, have a male or
female reader, change the volume and which
channels will be used to produce the sounds. You
can also edit the printer command codes; once
you're happy with them, you can save your driver.
This can be useful if you have an usual printer
which does not come with an Amiga printer driver.
As long as you have a manual that contains its
control codes, you can make your own driver.
Among Ilinois' more general settings are the date
and time display, memory display and format,
backup of files, and the screenmode.
The program is easy to use and has plenty of
options, but it does suffer from a rather dated-
looking interface. Occasionally I came across one
or two irritating bugs. These cropped up mostly
when I cancelled an operation or failed to write-
enable a disk. The program operates in a similar
manner to a database - you can create and edit
fields and set their types, such as numerical, date,
time, or logical. Once you have created your
records you can print out a report, or the labels
themselves if you so desire.
The program has plenty of options and is
extremely configurable. It is easy to use. despite
its quirks, and performs quite well. However, as a
program it doesn't really stand head and shoulders
over the competition, much more like forehead and
eyebrows to be honest.
Program Rating 78%
MULTIPRINT III
Roberta Smith DTP (Assassins Collection).
Disk BU133
The Assassins have continued to expand their
range of serious PD software with the release of
printer utility collection Multiprint III. The disk has
several printer drivers for some of the most popular
printers, page saving utilities, envelope printing
programs and even a database. In short, this
compilation is intended to make printing
documents, envelopes etc easier. The programs on
this disk include EPrint. Quickfile, Prfont, APrf.
Columns, MiserPnnt and printer drivers and utilities
for the CannonBJIO and HP-DeskJet.
APrfv5. 00 text-file printing utility can do a
variety of extremely useful things. It can be used to
add headers and footers to a page, set up margins
and makes use of your Workbench printer
preferences. It can read files that have been
crunched by PowerPacker Pro and has an ARexx
message port.
Columns is a paper-saving utility. It can be
used to print text documents more efficiently by
printing the text in columns. Text is squashed on to
the page, up to 180 lines per page and 160
characters per line on a A4-page; this is more than
five times the usual. Although this kind of
compression ratio is possible, it ts not easy to read
if you are visually impaired. The program has a
simplistic interface with buttons for controlling
most of the programs functions. To convert a text
file, you merely have to select the document, select
the number of characters and lines you want, fill in
the necessary information about your page, press
convert and then choose an output, usually your
printer. There are also options for controlling the
output's quality.
PrFont is a simple shareware program that will
display or print out the fonts you have currently got
installed on your system. You just need to double
click on the program's icon and it will automatically
search out and display your fonts. If you are using
the Shell, you will need to specify whether or not
you want a printout and which screen you wish to
display. As the program searches for your Fonts:
directory, you can get the program to display other
fonts by assigning that directory as Fonts:.
MiserPrint performs the same task as
Columns but doesn't compress the text quite as
much. It also doesn't have as many printing and
layout options. However the one function it
does have that Columns doesn't is a preview.
ttwt I
U-t |
ilSlil
iHtfirr
cni
i
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
*iwr*(Mr |
fi nlm*U 1 ■
PriHnir II t
Pr«itwl I 1 1
rrwinr-II i
tTfHitt 2.1 |
UMtlrKktr ■
UjritfTrKter |
rM-Irttkfr |
Krt»-Tr«*fr |
SIIMtftrKkir | r •
Irwt-IrKtw | ! |
/ know It's a bit of dodgy name, but Perverter is a
useful program to have. It can be used to convert
between several tracker module formats.
giving you an idea of how the printed document will
appear.
The Canon BJ10 folder contains five useful
programs: Fontshop - a font-downloader:
CanonPref- the driver preferences program; Report
- reports on your current driver settings; Install -
the installation script: and the Cannon BJ10 printer
driver itself. The driver and installation script can
both be used on any model Amiga, but the font
downloader and the preferences program are
Workbench 2+ only.
The HP drawer contains drivers for the HP-
Deskjet 500B and 500C.
QuickFile 1.3 is a standard flat-file database
program. The program can be used to create and
print address labels, disk labels or any other kind
of list you decide to create. It is a shareware
program, and as such the author would ask that
you send 20 Australian dollars if you find the
PD HUNGRY?
In Amiga Shopper we devote more pages than
any other Amiga magazine to reviewing the
best serious-only PD. However, if your hunger
for Inexpensive software is not filled by our
monthly round-up, then why not experience the
ultimate In PD reviews - The Amiga Shopper
PD Directory. It contains reviews of well over
700 applications, compilations and demos.
The Amiga Shopper PD Directory - £14.95
by Ian Wrigley, Phil South and Jason Holbom
from Future Publishing w 0225 822 511 (turn
to page 82 for more details). .
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
88 PUBLIC DOMAIN WORLD
lite* >
*y -en
?^ EACH r****
Here's PlcCon In action. It's an extremely useful
picture conversion program. It can also be used to
create sprites.
program useful.
The collection is a worthy addition to the
Assassins excellent range of disks. Although there
are no real stars on this disk, the majority of
programs are useful and easy to use.
Product Rating 79%
PICCON
17 Bit Software (Fred Fish 938)
This handy program is aimed at programmers, but
non-programmers may also find it of interest. It's a
picture converter that makes use of datatypes
(Workbench 3.0 only), so you can convert any
picture formats that you have a datatype for. such
as JPEGs. It is also AGA-compatible. so you can
import convert images of near 24-bit quality.
As the program is intended for use by
programmers, it has some rather nifty saving
options. These include the ability to save images
such as sprites. Workbench icons and a special
chunkymode. You can also save the data as binary,
C, E. Pascal and assembly source code. You can
save several blocks of images in one go with the
gridsave option - this can be useful for creating
map tiles or sprite animations.
If you are involved in games development for
If you would like to get into the colourful world of
PhotoCD, you'll need a conversion program like
PCDtolFF before you can view your pictures.
platforms such as the Megadrive or SNES, there is
a bonus to be found in PicCon's extensive console
graphics format support. The program can even
export data in the SNES' special Mode7 format
(used for zooming-in and exploding effects).
PicCon's palette handling abilities are
impressive as well. You can load and save palettes
in a wide variety of formats, including the standard
Amiga 4-bit. 8-bit, 32-bit. RGB 4-bit. RGB 32-bit,
SNES 5-bit and Megadrive 3-bit modes. You can
also save the palette as a copperlist.
Another useful feature is PicCon's Fontset
loader. This loader can open the Amiga bitmap font
as an image. It is also possible to the opposite;
you can draw your own fonts in a paint package,
such as DPaint. load the image in and then save
the information as a fontset, and there you have it
- your very own custom font. The only limitations
are that the fonts that will be produced can only be
mono-spaced and a single colour.
Several of PicCon's functions including grab
frame, autoscan and autocrop, making use of a
grab pen. This is a colour in the palette that can be
used to draw a box around certain areas of the
screen. When you initiate a function that relies on
this grab pen colour, it selects, copies, etc. the
bound areas as a separate part of the image. This
makes it easy to create animations on a single
screen without worrying too much about having to
select each frame individually.
The documentation is friendly and well
organised. It is in the AmigaGuide format so you
can easily move about the document. There are
several text hotlinks in each node, so it is easy to
locate explanations of unfamiliar terms and
features. I must admit that this is an excellent
program; it's packed full of useful features and is
intuitive in its operation. It is shareware but £10 is
more than a fair price. If you are into programming
games, demos or even serious applications, you
should get hold of a copy immediately.
Program Rating 92%
LYSISTRATA OF
ARISTOPHANES
Immediate Arts (UcenseWare)
No, this is positively not the name of an Italian
footballer, Lysistrata is a play that was written
almost two and a half thousand years ago. It was
written by a young Athenian playwright by the name
of Aristophanes. The product on review is not a
musty old scroll, rather a multimedia modern-day
translation of the play.
The play is set in the period of time when
Greece and Sparta are at war, and suggests a
novel solution to the war. The plot is based mainly
on a group of women who decide that they have
had enough of the war, and go on a 'sex strike'.
They feel, as they are women, that they are
powerless to influence decisions made by the men
in any other way.
Lysistrata is the main character of the play and
she sets about convincing the other women to help
implement her scheme. The style of language that
is used is not stuffy or overly academic, instead it
has been translated into a modem form of the
English language.
The play is well-presented with scanned images
and even a digitised animation of a brass statue. It
is simplicity itself to navigate the play; you just
click on a button and you move to different scenes
of the play. There is also plenty of background
information that fleshes out the play and its
relevance to its time period and its source of
inspiration. While I must admit I didn't personally
enjoy the play that much, I think it is a good way of
presenting such plays.
Program Rating 76%
BOUNTY SPECIAL EDITION 1 -
'WAR"
Cygnostic
GBH have been producing an impressive disk-
based magazine. Bounty, for some time now. This
special edition issue on war should be the first of
many others.
This issue is a two-disk affair, mainly because
the majority of the images are supplied in both AGA
and non-AGA formats. The images are of a very
high, if more than a little gruesome, standard.
There are lots of atmospheric sunset pictures,
mainly of men with big hard hats and carrying guns.
There are also some rather attractive pictures with
VistaPro created backdrops. One thing you should
bear in mind is that, as a result of the issue's
brutal theme, some images are disturbing.
Lysistrata Is a two and a half thousand year old
comedy. It's about a group of Greek women who
decide to go on a 'sex-strike. '
The magazine's editorial content is along the
lines of most of the war and weapons magazines
available in newsagents. There is a section that
covers the details of a number of weapons - this
includes things such as the different types of
bullets available. Tanks are also given a fair
amount of coverage. There is extensive coverage of
war planes that details the early development of
some of the planes and their performance specs.
I must say I didn't enjoy this issue of Bounty as
much as the previous ones. This is mainly due to
my personal feelings with regard to war. however.
Despite the low rating, if you find this sort of thing
appealing, you may want to give it a look.
Product Rating 45%
GET IN CONTACT
The great thing about PD software is that
everyone can get involved in it. If you have
written a program that you feel other Amiga-
users might find useful, or entertaining, why
not send rt to us for review?
If you come across a particularly useful PD
or Shareware program, why not send in a copy
of If for us to have a look at? When you do, be
sure to include any documentation and please
give us the supplier's name and address.
If you run a PD library, you will almost
certainly appreciate a bit of free publicity. If
you would like to appear in these pages, the
quickest way of receiving a mention Is to send
In some of your latest PD for review.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
PUBLIC DOMAIN WORLD 89
A1200 Only PO. Contact B J
Cowdaii, 27 Pheasant Way,
Cirencester, Glos. GL7 1BJ.
AGA Exchange. 18 Brownshlll,
Cromer, Norfolk NR27 OQA. Ads
free. Membership fee £9.
Amlcom PD, 22 Church View
Close, Havercroft. Wakefield WF4
2PH.
AMOS PD, 1 Penmynydd Road.
Penlan. Swansea SA5 7EH.
Amigahollcs. Kevin Bryan, 49
Coutts House. Charlton Church
Lane. Charlton, London SE7 7AS.
Amiganuts United, 1 Daffern
Avenue. New Arley. Coventry
CV7 8GR.
Amiga Productivity PD Series,
51 Ennors Road. Newquay,
Cornwall TR7 1RB. Contact
M J Docking.
Anglia POL, 30 Victoria Street.
Felixstowe. Suffolk. IP11 7EW.
tr 0394 283494.
Anlml PD. 2 Fatherwell Avenue.
West Mailing. Kent ME19 6NG.
Armchair PD, 180 Blackton
Close, Newton Aycliffe, Co
Durham DL5 7EY.
Artman. 40 Northwell Gate.
Otley. West Yorkshire LS21 2DN.
tr 0943 466476.
Asgard PD, 20 Langdale Drive,
Ranshaw. Wakefield WF2 9EW.
tr 0924 363059.
Batty's PD. Contact Ian or Lynn
Battison, 7 Denmark Road. North-
ampton NN1 5QR. tr 0604
22456. Life membership £3.99.
Barkln' Mad, 18 Rhyber Avenue.
Lanark. Lanarkshire ML11 7AL.
Beats Brothers. 6 Brownings
Close, Pennington, Lymington,
Hampshire S041 8GX.
Belshaws PD, 55 Baldertongate.
Newark. Notts. NG24 1EU.
tr 0636 72503.
BG PD. 6 Peter Street, White-
haven, Cumbria CA28 7QB.
Blrtter, 213 Fordfield Road,
Sunderland SR4 OHF.
BHtterchlps, Cliffe House.
Primrose Street, Keighley. BD21
4NN. v 0535 667469.
BTK. 7 Callander Road. Catford,
London SE6 2QA. tr 081 473
1650.
Bus Stop PD. Contact Lisa or
Cheryl. 6 Smiths Avenue, Marsh,
Huddersfield HD3 4AN.
tr 0484 516941.
C and C PD. Contact Chris
Wildman. 3a The Cedars,
Tilehurst, Reading. Berks. RG3
6JW. tr 0734 411131.
Chris's PD, 22 Merryfields
Avenue, Hockley. Essex SS5 5AL.
Colwyn PD. Andy Roberts, 17
Gladys Grove. Colwyn Bay, Clwyd
LL29 7YB. tr 0492 533442.
Compo Software, 36 Priory Rd.
Fareham. Hants. P015 5HT
Computer & Design Services,
24 Blackmoor Croft. Tile Cross,
Birmingham B33 OPE.
tr 021 779 6368
CP PD, (in association with NFA
Productions) 3 Dunedin Crescent,
Winshill, Burton on Trent, Staffs.
DE15 OEJ. « 0283 516736.
Crazy Joe's, 145 Effingham
Street. Rotherham, South Yorks,
S65 1BL. tr 0709 829286.
Cygnostic, New Enterprise Centre
Little Heath Ind. Estate. Old
Church Road. Coventry CV6 7NB.
Deja Vu, 7 Hollinbrook, Beech
Hill. Wigan WN6 7SG.
tr 0942 495261.
Deltrax PD, 36 Bodelwyddan Ave.
Old Colwyn. Clwyd LL29 9NP tr
0492 515981
Dlskovery PD, 108 The Avenue.
Clayton, Bradford, West Yorkshire
BD14 6SJ. « 0274 880066.
Essex Computer Systems, 118
Middle Crockerford. Basildon,
Essex. SS16 4JA.
it 0268 553963.
Eurodlsk PD, PO Box 2. Radlett.
Herts WD7 8QL.
Express PD. 47 Aberdale Road,
West Knighton, Leicester LE2
6GD. it 0533 887061.
Fantasia PD, 40 Bright Street,
Gorse Hill. Swindon. Wilts SN2
6BU.
Five Star PD, 48 Nemesia Road.
Amington. Camworth B77 4EL.
tr 0827 68496.
GVBPD. 43 Badger Close.
Maidenhead. Berks. SL6 2TE.
tr 0831 649386.
Haven Computing. 15b Meeching
Road.Newhaven East Sussex
BN9 9RL.tr 0273 513491
Highland PD. Free list contains
lots of education and business
disks. Contact David Paulin. 1
Whinpark. Muirtown. Inverness
IU3 6NQ.tr 0463 242431.
Holmes Brothers Compilations.
Contact Craig for monthly
compilation disk. 23 Rocester
Avenue, Wednesfield.
Wolverhampton, West Midlands
WV11 3AU. « 0902 733418.
Hornesoft PD. Contact Chris
Home. 23 Stanwell Close.
Wincobank. Sheffield S9 1PZ.
tr 0742 422000.
ICPUG (Independent Commodore
Product Users Group), PO Box
1309. London. N3 2UT.
tr 081 346 0050.
Immediate Arts, 26 Lyndhurst
Gardens. Glasgow G20 6QY.
tr 041 946 5798.
John Leaver, 99 Ibsley Gardens.
London SW15 4LX.
Judge Dredd's PD. 1 Nottingham
Road. South Croydon, Surrey
CR2 6LN.
Kew=ll Collection, PO Box 672.
South Croydon, Surrey CR2 9YS.
tr 081 657 1617.
KTs PD. 75 The Drive. Rochford.
Essex SS4 1QQ. tr 0702
542536.
Langham PD. Contact Richard
Payne, 89 Wolverhampton Road.
Codsall, Wolverhampton WV8 1PL
Logic PD, 8/5 Glenalmond Court,
Sighthill. Edinburgh EH11 4BE.
Magnetic Fields, PO Box 118.
Preston. Lancashire PR2 2AW.
tr 0772 881190
MegaSoft. 78 Bockingham
Green, Basildon, Essex SS13
1PF. « 0268 559164
NBS, 1 Chain Lane, Newport,
Isle Of Wight, PO30 5QA.
tr 0983 529594.
Network PD & Shareware
Library, Kenmare, Co. Kerry. Eire.
tr 010 353 64 41603
NJH Computers, 12 Meesons
Mead. Rochford, Essex SS4 1RN.
tr 0702 546796.
Numero Uno, 21 Burstall Hill,
BrxHtfigton, N Humberside Y016
5NP.tr 0262 671125.
On line PD, 1 The Cloisters,
Halsall Lane. Formby. Liverpool
L37 3PX tr 0704 834 335. BBS
0704 834 583.
Orbital Software. Contact A
Rowers, 37 The Orchard. Market
Deeping. Peterborough. Cambs.
PE8 8JR. tr 0778 342064.
Pathfinder PD, 41 Marion Street.
Bmgley. W Yorks. BD16 4NQ.
* 0274 565205.
Penguin Public Domain, PO Box
179. Reading, Berks RG3 3DD.
PD Soft, 1 Bryant Ave. Southend-
on-Sea. Essex SSI 2YD.
tr 0702 466933.
Phil's A1200 Only PD. Phillips
Woods. 101 Grove Rd. Gosport.
Hants P012 4JJ.
Premier PD, 45 Fairfield Gardens.
Eastwood. Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
SS9 5SD. tr 0702 520520.
Riverdene PDL, 30a School
Road, Tilehurst. Reading,
Berkshire RG3 5AN.
« 0734 452416.
Roberta Smith DTP, 190
Falloden Way. Hampstead
Garden Suburb. London NW11
6JE. * 081 455 1626.
Scribble PD, 2 Hillside Cottages.
Burstall. Suffolk IP8 3DY. tr
0473 652 588.
SeaSoft Computing. The
Business Centre. 1st Floor. 80
Woodlands Avenue, Rustington.
W. Sussex BN16 3EY. tr 0903
850378.
Sector 16, 160 Hollow Way.
Cowley. Oxford,
tr 0865 774472.
17-Bit Software, 1st Floor
Offices, 2/8 Market Street.
Wakefield. West Yorkshire WF1
lDH.tr 0924 366982.
Softvllle, 35 Market Parade.
Havant. Hants P09 1PY.
tr 0705 498199.
Software Expressions, Unit 4.
44 Beauley Road, SouthviHe,
Bristol BS3 1PY.
tr 0272 639593.
Startronics, 39 Lambton Rd.
Chorlton. Manchester M21 OZJ.
• 0618818994.
Tazmania PD, 4 Boultham
Avenue. Lincoln LN5 7XZ.
tr 0522 538706 (after 6 pm).
Telescan Computer Services.
Handsworth Road, Blackpool
FY5 1SB. tr 0253 22296.
Trevan Designs Ltd, PO Box 13,
Aldershot. Hants. GU12 6YX.
-a 0483 725905 (note: modem)
Vally PD, PO Box 15. Peterlee.
Co Durham SR8 1NZ.
• 091587 1195.
Virus Free PD, IF Offices,
Victoria Centre. 138-139 Victoria
Rd. Swindon. Wiltshire SN1 3BU.
tr 0793 432 176
Visage Computers PDL.
18 Station Road. Ilkeston.
Derbyshire DE7 5LD.
tr 0602 444501.
WMC (Worldwide Marketing
Concepts), 5 Arthur Terrace.
Penisarwaen, Gwynedd. LL55
3PN.tr 0286 871815.
Your Choice PD Library, 39
Lambton Road, Chorlton-cum-
Hardy, Manchester M21 1ZJ. tr
061 881 8994.
• Attention! If you run a PD
library not listed here, or want
to amend any information, send
us the full details.
• Whenever you write to the
libraries for a catalogue, include
an SAE for its return.
• The libraries named In the
reviews were the ones that
provided us with the disks.
Given that PD can be freely
copied, the same programs may
be available from several
libraries. Search around!
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1 994
90 MARKET PLACE
SHOPPER
022S W22W
ADVERTISING RATES
£30 + VAT
per Company entry
AMIGA SHOPPER MARKET PLACE
Beauford Court
30 Monmouth Street
Bath, Avon
BA1 2BW
Tel: 0225 442244
Fax: 0225 480325
Q
We accept cheques
for payment
A -* — -*■
Qtvy Jc*»
—^Software
AMIGA PD/PC SHAREWARE FROM 89p
SEN0 HP STAMP FOR A
met CATALOGUE OMSK
5TATVIQ WHO* COMPUn R *OU HA Vt TO
141 IfTMOHAll ST*€«T
norm ah am
SOUTH VOMIHIRt •*» ik
TEL: (0709) 829286 FAX: (0709) 838068
LANGHAM P.D.
n M.tlm.Mit.|ii<>i> HimuM octal.
V\trf»rrtMtTi|ri<in \W* ll'l
MmA^omini ihmwp* miiif riuCeWT**!**
SlS[)llt\K -VII nkllH)MMIM'^U hi>K
MVMM.uMK *■» IIMIMVI 1UV.
li \MI < I M II U
> :
UJONM IMM IU>K>
ntniM is
u u «i M rt-t . tMi utsM)
DIM IHMMISI IftCl Oft 1 4 UN ■ ■». l*>4
\hm * hum pvr uuhiMs ru \ni * n* r r\W
r
L
\'wM profit P.D.
Please setul blank disk ♦ S.A.E. for
catalogue ilisk * 1 free games.
40 Northwelt Gate. Oiler, Wesl Yorks
LS2t 2DN
ovi R 4000 TITLES
SOMETHING FOB EVERYONE
TOTAL SOLUTION
Kaon* -.'■■a Uk A"«yaDOV
Game Oeetoi a- -Dn^rwrand
r* attmtt- nteey [unagrn i
'■
>nd:
•4 SUM JtaOJr*.
2nd
Tout Solution (AS). Challenge Logic,
PO BOX 26. Mansfield. Notts NG19 8LZ
Cheques payable to:
Challenge Logic Club
ANIM I Pl>
MAGICAL
INGENIOUS
GRAPHICAL
ANIMATIONS
SEND 60P OB 3 1ST CLASS STAMPS FOR
CATALOGUE TO;-
"AN1M I 1'iv
P.O. BOX 128
WEST MALLING
KENT ME 1 9 6U A
f dWord r n»t V4.1 CIO
<~«
too*" 4 J >< ■
ttllD tUBQ,^
The highly praised, easy to follow
tutorial disks • Amossible T, "2" and
"Total Beginners Guide"- £1-50 each.
MARK WXTKSON. 49 PtRROn CtOSE.
NORTH If CM, WITNEY, OXON OX8 6RU
ASSASSINS PD
091 258 6418
Aiussln* g*m*> tod utilities collection «rc now
available dktel from the producer* for Ci plus p+p-
why r*oi Join the ASI Ckib *nd receive
*0* tfKount on every o«kf.
KEW=II
Software
m w>
TOP QUALITY AMIGA FD A sH IRFUARt
I J«**VL4o
e,
rU TIM fW* f» V.tAft* n
VOW, MUM1 A 4IXtl It** sUltf
mra 4>vrTMvr
p.o. ni\f>*2
MHTIMKOVrHVN
HI RKFYCR2 0VS
III: <>MI M- h>r
III! IIAHIK UHllKM.woMt HMHiU
I ftvf* K iff r6s>
Cam CD Divrkifc»jn©n
AMIGA
(DM
<4^TV
ALL AVA ILABLE TI TLES
70. COTV TfTLES COMPATIBLE WTTH CD32
SUPER CD32 JOVPADS (WTTH AUTOf lftE) C19 99
LEMMINGS EB W ■ MEAN AREANAS C19 99
ALFRE0 CHICKEN £1999 PINBALL £24 99
IK* f 12 90 • ARABIAN NIGHTS £12 99
Z00L £19 99 NIGEL MANSELL £19 99
TROLLS £19 09 SEEK & DESTROY £19 99
7 GATES JAMBALA ilB W - PREV f IB 99
PIRATES GOLF £2* 99 - OVERKILL £1999
JOHN BARNES £12 99 CHUCK ROCK £1? 99
CAPRI CO DISTRIBUTION
DEPT AS, DEAN STREET
MARLOW. BUCKS SL7 3AA
TEL/FAX 0628 891022
TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME
Disk* and Drives Insider Guide
Th» most mporunt component « your An^oa B»pie>ned
byPaufOmtTttosees
rtrtvour
tn tun Full Moris* on *e» -epa* Me recovery. dM
booing. oonvM^io. sacvy and Tmcfi mom
ISBN l-9T>309 34 S £14 95 mc i**
Amiga A ssembler Insi der Guide
0y Paul Ovanu. 256 psoas
AMoAJt* t*o*"«'« QU*aa to assembler from the leading
hoc on (ne subjeci 0e* wtth A68K sssembtef and
ui.16 included
ISBN I4TS-30B-S74 £l4 95«c*sh
Amiga Shoppor Special Offer
Mif rl ng Amiga C and Maseettng Amiga SysMsvn
Or Paul Overma 320 and 399 pege*
Mastering Amgt C lor beginners. Arttga Syslem for
advanced C programming Buy both quoi-ng Amiga
Snooper Oner lor C39 90 and save £10 00 Includes
Three dMamlanTt C compter *vaianw; ^Jvoa*,
£19 95 <r>c 2 d»l>S
C29 95ncas*
C ISBN 1-873 308 04 6
Sytsem ISBN 1 873-308 06-X
To order or tor more information wrtte or calf
w?nT% *■» ■*• Bi ° ,tt ' w to*** 2
1 M '! » Aa%w. Herts. AU 3J0
" '* ^ * TeiishoM (09231 89*355
Sie utTTj beat fB
^/rs/ *^-dC>tf/tir w D^J^/um of 17 '3ft
Contact T/jt Ut/mn*pmgmhtrxxt3&
SOOOBruyym TmlO50^tt59H
Catakxju* <f*sA avatla&m on/y 90f r r
frvm dtsk 1900 onwwrds
Fallow 1 7 D/t and *njoy Amiga
DISK CATALOGUE
0928 732 550
NO LISTS NO HUNTING ITS A I
UNIQIIE DATABASE THAT'S
POWERFUL AND HELPFUL AND
ONLY AVAIIARLE FROM US
Amiga-64-Link
incVAT+P&l*
ALL MAKES SUPPLIED
FOR THE BEST PRICES
FREEPHONE: 0800 526 376
MJ COMMUNICATIONS
MILITARY STRATEGY
WAR GAMES
The world's leading example of
machine intelligence in the field
of wargammg.
Send SAE for details to:
K Wf 9UfaVs , lN sB 1
1 55 Ringinqlow Rd,
ShefficQ Si 1 7PS
ASTROLOGY
Wide range of programs (or
Amateur/Prolessional Astrologers
free catalogue (sae 38p - 9"x7")
ASTROCALC
Dept AS, 67 Peascrofl Rd, Hemel
Hempstead, Herts HP3 8ER,
tel: 0442 251809. fax: 0442 248902
MEMORY EXi*A JVSIOJV
IMbxl
256x4
lMbx4(44C1000)
lMbx4(44C1000)
lMbx8
4Mbx8
4Mb (1x32)
-80ns
-80ns
-80ns A3000
-80ns Static Col
-80ns
-80ns
-70ns 4000/030
DIP 6.03
DIP or ZIP 6.03
ZIP 21.82
ZIP 21.82
SIMMs (GVP) 39.95
SIMMs (GVP) 135.13
72 Pin 141.00
Please phone for the latest prices. VAT included. Delivery £5.88
O KINGSWAY UK LTD _
Phone 0923 836473 Fax 0923 836474
18 Foxfield Close, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 3NU
Ai200 /A600/A500
This compact battery-backed clock measures just 7x6x2 cms!
installation is easy, it simply fits onto the parallel port (keeping your
warranty intact), and incorporates a throughport enabling all other
peripherals to be used.
It comes complete with a disk containing some useful utilities, including
a calendar/diary program with a multiple alarm facility.
Now Just £13.99 inc VAT (plus £1 P&P)
m Please make cheques/POs payable to:
- Kyte Products, 45 St Ladoc Road,
Keynsham, Avon BS18 2DR t
Tel: (0272) 400805
AtUtiriA CUriDDED Sft 1CQIIE 10 9a II II Y 1 QQ A
Dominator One P.O. uu (0709) 837488 ioam-6 P m
1 to 5 Disks El 25 each. 6 lo 10 Olsfcs £100 each. II to 15 Disks B5peach. 16 or more Disks 75p each
AN orders e/e sen: ftrst cites AN orders art despatched the same day Cheques if* usually 5 days clearance-
Al orders art on 100*. eno* fie* Disks
ISO legal Toob 1-1411 fl ?5*-*n frwl Fis-f! r*«.ifs. 1-890 iseach JAM MO £l25eacti
Scope Disks 1 770 n 25 each Assassins Games 1-140 £120 each GiapeVine disks £4.00 set oi 3
PLEASE MAKE ALL CHEQUfcS/POSTAL OROERS TO- Oomlnator One
Sam* of qui 3000 ului disks Include
i inn Ma** Mm \%.a i\*t i i
i i ii m.\ m«»fc-
I II. I llliM |o( «.i.
I 1117 Hri|i"Nhi l<»iK W IV
I .M I HtuU-mli I IMI Mtrtm
Ml I'l llttuMfMhri \ t VI .NM I li
UIV* Oataawd »w p
VII.
IMHHI h\liii< Hafl UIKImthl
(KIWI S.iiih III. Mt4|flKlJt
lllfll Wi.ihlol I omnuidorr (Jlh
I *»I*I7 0«Ml|l» IllTM-l'Ml'Kl I IOI
Mil.'Miwih \lkl«-»ll.'»"«ahi
•All UH4 A \— " HSMV*
1HH»il N(* . Iim IMU« \ 17
if on *>u< i own (Mil UKk* I llh
i ii.* i< <•» rint i * tiiikv
I nut i- i w i mn
i j i .
Iirjlh-w. Uiiw MlMH-r \.' II
i.^kMl HM
IMMi I PMU HrlW < I -IMI (mh I
IMMVt RrlltM Aura I 1 208 »nh i
IH1U( Ulml t\jf|iili.\>
I'llKI M.hu II
tst imiuii U«*UB«
l<*«1 l.rhMM^ll.'IIOMll)
MHJ Ui.'SUsV*
0<MU tort limn Ml P*t- UN* I
IH'H World i*l tt«nail IMi t\i.\t
.kltriU
I lift l'o«.n^ me
■1 V*m%m MIUI..I- 'M
i i'l" ||
VII HI lt.ltll.nUr \ I
WimM.MHc.IHM.
■:«l VW* I
IXMI IH-Lm
IH>-WlkwMill20»nnlii F^
1)1*10 KrlliM lm* I (\l.\l
I'l'tl U*M
MIIRI ju UjAmum
no I". MflMfcNixd i.HMi i MJnoiMihi
Mill. ^««*lto»*l -»»*>» I l.-OO -■
MttssnUewleai^eentiil I
01K7 IM — 4 - H-fc • tin 1 1 \Wl
U|W.r*ndr#ikrtVI0lfc
Why not lakt advantage ot our lalul oiler' 15 PO disk* tor f 1? All duk prices inchida til class poll and packing
Any queries rmq(0709) 837484 between 10am 6pm end we will be happy to tort m«m out We have 5 yean Amiga
eiperleoce and 3 yean eiperieace el PO For a tree catalogae disk ten! a SAC lo
G P. Roebuck, Rockland House. 2A Poplar Avenue.Thrybtro,. Rotherham. South Yorkshire S65 4AH
I
♦
All with 100% lifetime guarantee & labels
GRADE A 3 5 DS/DD
SO Disks
50 Disks
100 Disks
PHONE US FOR ALL THE
BEST PRICES ON AMIGA
CD32, PRINTERS &
SOFTWARE
THE COMPUTER SHOP, 11 ALL SAINTS PASSAGE,
IHH » BBH HUNTINGDON, CAMBS PE18 6LE
visa TEL/FAX (Q480) 435858
£6 + £2 p+p
£1 5 + £9 p+p
£99 + £3 p+p
FOR LARGER QUANTITIES
PLEASE PHONE FOR THE
LOWEST PRICES
^IMIIiLCCmiJBU'asii-^^
J6 cstornos nos novas instoloipdes para melhoro servtr\
Visile o CENTRO AMIQA c vcja as enornws capacidaclcs deste
cjrarKie computation
Precos especlas de CAM PAN HA durante o rnes de Junlio!
. I ' DO 1/ 'I I ■ I ' ' \ S\ar*/W'8MWmAW S8fl ii i t^ 1 I
v *U4 \ K 1 1 / H >/| II Ji )/■- AM4HI V/ > «<<*<)<
BHiiiawty , d i ifl i / i i : 1 1 I SATiWtnrim' an i m 1
I VIM \<IIII\U HHII\II/\I(IIIMH|HIIAI.MIM|MV\IH H II >!€$€€
PARA OUTRAS CONFiqURACOES. CONSULTE-NOS?
HARDWARE E SOFTWARE o pnfipOS mois txiixos do que em INqLATERRA!
Os precos ref eridosjd \cn\ IVA induido
€CN%i 1 A CI) 32 E CD'S VII »f«) f 1 1 ATM I \
I i«M <l\ rii|||L,i|L, g,i\ de U-U till v||(| *4J I \S||
Ttocsc m \VttflFi / i '^BraiC!
I leM «1\ Af Ch k lelUllO%
SE SHI AMICA NAO TEM DISCO RiQDO. NAO PERCA
MAIS TEMPO, MONTAMOS DISCOS EM QUALQUER
AMIGA TAMBEM AOS MELHORES PRECOS
:jo oo vivo Que c umo BBS e 05 vontojerv que do Ihe poilc proprcionor.
no
dorol
■ ....
• 2409
■tern - 1 ow n- thin 3 »«k t se u yonei
10am- 3pm Sat
WCITOCX
LSD legal I ooii
FrsdFlah
tfDC
Scow
brdcui
t>jm«
'EO^
uVapevkcctc
your Urn order or send
2r;
DEMOS
&rttf Arte (AfiAt
Ab5!av P fl (AGA,
Plgrm-SeneueVf/
12 ASAi
ttowment Sumo i AGA >
Danaoe UquU .'*C4i
intert Karrtaoeddon
(AGA)
iS&JBSosOnE'sR)
Soece6sfc9F»vrs(2)
SaraTr Tuntnl
Lemon Announce
Melon Human Target
Nuaw Subtle Shades
Scoooet PhaQ
Nerve Ars Demon's R*jf
Sanay JeskKflr,
Tryoon Lesbian Tartar
vnunes
Tot Engine V1 1
fmagtneObjeth
WrWDHfc
ASiLaftwPtvean
F«BBD
CheQceBo* Accounta^
«cksunV70Effle«Mor
KtiatartVlSEmubtor
Conpugjrapmc Fonts
ynnffl
Cornpiisfipfwc Fonts
Vol 49 16)
8lGCepArlFonts(4)
AGATooH4t/P3
font Library
fTDtPani
naveSempkn
MUSK
ktalr*/. The Power
Oocc
LSO-OoniPr*
itsflH
Nf A Modules
W«,nwWorkJ|2)
iYou&'
Shamen
Stand Up- Jasper Carrod
17 TtwAmlPkyjsuie(2)
tS0UuscPack(4)
MStawModukn
War of Vw Wonds
AGASllOfaHOWS
GIFB«!Jlt* Ho 14
Mehrtrtl? FflOctell
UFA L>«« Babes f?i
Hapi0(S0riyiMl2)
Ke* Rhodes Fatrasy
NFA Bodystnp l (1), 11
(2). HI 111. IV 12). V (2).
2) Vn |2i
NFACJauSaScMIe*
tfASftertynFennEfta
Ewne*
UFA GUduJlors (?)
Swimsuri Babes lfZ/3
Jurassic Part
Ferrw Sides
Hf A Bc-s Vawio i?i
Party ill Pa
lOOcap dUbo> £550
UAm«*0utlCovw3 f?00
Mous* IM D 00
Drive Ckonei
50DSOO
I00DSOO
a oo
FJOOO
I ■ R
•v ( ■: .>*..-■
Postage L«50p
Furopeadd20pper04k
Worti add 40p per *W
*l cneoues payablt to L>ckishe PO
Other ecceaaones and hardware
□■to,
IP WE HAVEN'T GOT IT... WE'LL OCT IT AT MO EXTRA CHARGE
ARTWORKS CLIP ART
Origin. 1 1 imu^es Tor the computer. NO I public domain
Each dtsk contains between 1 15 and 270 original, high quaHTy. images tor use with Amiga Art, DTP &
video programs - Deluxe Paint, Pagesetter, Pro Page. Pagosiream. Wordworth. Penpal. Scala etc.
1. Porta 2. Castles, cottages & churches 3 Treea '■ Signs & symbols 5 Wild animals
6. Prehistoric hte ' Signs & symbols 2 8. Weddings A family occasions
9 Fishing e> freshwater life 10 Signs A symbols 3 11 Christmas 1 2 Frame* 4 borders
13. Sport 14. Frames A borders 2
^lj>f>
M
f 7 99 each - 3 or more £7 each - Over 2100 images for only £96 - Inclusive of 1st class P&P.
¥** e
AMIGA SHOPPER • All ate high quality., a bargain
CU AMIGA awarded ***** - AMIGA FORMAT 85
ll
Please make chequea/PO's payable to ARTWORKS
(Dept ASh ) Pondside, Wootton. Ulceby, S.Humberside. DN39 6SF tt 0469 5881 38
rn.
Probably the world's best selling Horse Racing software
Uses information from daily newspapers
National Hunt, Flat and Dirt
Includes course editor
"At the price, no self respecting punter ran
afford to be without it". (Amiga Format)
"A nice little earner". (Amiga Computing)
Tipster is available in two versions, costing £44.95
each. The International version is for use with daily
newspapers while the Professional is fot use with Tlte
Racing Post. Please phone for a demo disk (£9.95
refundable against purchase) which also contains Tlte
Punter (Pools), and Tlte Dogs (greyhounds).
VISA
£44.95
incVAT&P&P
Sidmouth Software Ltd
PO BOX 7, SIDMOUTH, DEVON EX10 0TD
©
24 HOURS 0395 567073
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
92 PRODUCT LOCATOR
The complete guide to the best in Amiga hardware, software and PD.
Hardware
f «f«m*J RUh QAM ttQflteiOA for
A600
Rating:
WIS Electronics
£199
Supplier:
PrK»:
A1230
14MHz 68030 and 68882
accelerator for the A1200
Hating. 90%
Reviewed: 27
Supplier | lM
Price: £299
A1500 B2000
Discontinued Big-box version of
A500/A500+
Suppiic. Commodore
Prior £S/M500
25MHz 88030 and FPU accelerator
for the A1500t»)
Rating: na
Reviewed; na
Supplier: Commodore
Price: £1200
A 300ft 16
Discontinued. 608030 16MHz very
rent ECS ch.o set * 2Mb
Rating: na
Suppber Commodore
Price: £S/H900
AMOl
S0MH7 68030+FPU accelerator for
the A1600. • i
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 3,5
Supplier: Silica
Price: £1799
A4000-M
Stripped version of A4000
Rating: na
Reviewed: na
Supplier: Commodore
Pnce: £999
Ragshtp 25Mhz 68040/AGA Amtga
H*ung. nm
Reviewed: na
Supplier: Commodore
Pnce: £2000
A 500
Early machine with 512K. Good
S/H models rare.
Rating: na
Reviewed: na
Supplier: Commodore
Price: £120* (used)
MM*
Early V2 machine wrth 1M RAM.
Good value S/H.
Rating: na
Reviewed: na
Supplier ' Commodore
Price: £140 (used)
ASOOOlft
16MHz 6802O.FPU accelerator for
the A500C)
MM
4
ACL
£189.99
A530
40MHz 68030»FPU accelerator for
Hie AOUW*j
Rating: 90*
Reviewed; 20
Supplier Silica
Price: £800
Hart disk/RAM expanston for
A50O*
Rating 50%
Reviewed: 1.8.13
Supplier Commodore
Price; £399
AfiOO
The most basic Amiga currently
available new
Rating: 80%
Reviewed: na
Supplier Commodore
Price: £199
A8802SVHS
SVHS version of A8802 genlock
with fade and dissolve
Rating. 50%
Reviewed; 10
Supplier Marcam
Price: £499
AdRAM2000
internal RAM expansion for big box
Amigos
Hating: 70%
Reviewed: 8
Supplier Power Computing
Price- £179
AdSpeed
16MHz 68000 accelerator for the
A500(+)
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 3.5
Supplier: Silica
Price: £173
Reviewed:
Supplier:
Price:
20
Commodore
£ne
One of the few high-density Onves
tor the Arruga
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 8
Supplier. Applied Engmeenng
Price: £140
Alphaecan
Hand-held 4000P1 monochrome
scanner
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 14,22
Supplier: Golden Image
Price: £199
AMAS2
8-tHt stereo sound sampler with
volume control
Rating: na%
Reviewed: na
Supplier: McroOeai
Pnce- £100
AmKet.600
Internal RAM expansion for the
A000
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 24
Supplier: Silica
Price: £45
Aries 2000
Internal RAM expansion for big box
Amiga*
Rattng: 70%
Reviewed: 24
Supplier: Power Computing
Price: £129
Aueio Engineer
Sot stereo sound sampler with
acV>*tar>ie volume
Rating 90%
Reviewed: 5
Supplier Silica
Pnce £199
B 6000-28
25MHz 68030*FPU accelerator for
lheA500
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 3.5
Supplier: ACL
p..r.. £479
Canon BJ-lOex
Reliable and popular ink-Jet.
3600P1. 83CPS
Rating 90%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier Canon
Price: £299
Canon BJ- 10* i
Alternative B>10 ink-jet. 3600P1.
110 CPS
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 29
Supplier: Canon
Price: £227
Canon IMM
Fest desktop ink jet Three fonts.
360DPI. 300CPS.
Rating: .70%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier Canon
Pnce: £495
5PPM. 300 DPI laser 512K basic
RAM
Rating: 70%
Reviewed. 22
Supplier: Canon
Pnce: £1175
CAX3S4
Stylistic external floppy disk for all
Amigas
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 0.2.8
Supplier: Cumana
Pnce: £75
CBM040
40MHz 68040-FPU accelerator for
theA3000
Retire
High resolution 9' x 12' touch
mm
na
Cherry
£450
Supplier:
Pnce:
Citizen 240C
24 pin colour printer 240 CPS and
nine resident fonts
Rating: na
Reviewed: na
Supplier: Citizen
Pnce: £350
Citizen L24d
24-pin impact pnnter. 109 CPS
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 4
Supplier Citizen
Pnce: £292
24 pin impact pnnter with 240 CPS
performance
Rating: na%
Reviewed: na
Supplier; Citizen
Pnce: £250
Citizen Projnt
Impressive ink-jet from Citizen. 360
DPI. 360 CPS
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier: Citizen
Pnce £496
Citizen Swtft 24
Weil-made 24 pin impact engine.
121 CPS. Five fonts.
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 4
Supplier: Citizen
Price: £428
Cftlzen Swrft 9
9-pin impact printer .121 CPS.
Three fonts. Colour kit avail.
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 4
Supplier: Citizen
Pnce: £280
Citizen SwfR 90C
Budget priced 9pm colour with six
fonts
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 29
Supplier Citizen
Pnce: £169
Clarity 16
l&bit stereo sound sampler with
adjustable volume
Rating; 70%
Reviewed: 25
Supplier: MicroDeal
Price: £149
ColourPk
Realtime colour video digrtlser
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 2
Supplier: JCL
Pnce: £399
ReaHime colour video dxgrtiser wrth
animation
Rating 70%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier: JCL
Pnce £699
CSA Mega Mlget
33MHz 68030* FPU accelerator for
ma ABOO
Rating: 70%
3.5
Omega Protects
Pnce: £389
CSA Rocket Launcher
50MHz 68030+ FPU accelerator for
theA1500
Ratirvg: 90%
20
Omega Projects
Price: £549
DataFlyer 2000
Hard drive card for A1S00 and
above
Rating: 50%
Reviewed: 1
Supplier: Trllogic
Price: £350
OCTV
Pseudo 24-bit video enhancer for
all machines. 368x580 pixels
Rating: 70%
12
Supplier Silica
Pnce: £499
Dsconix 701
PC inn-jet pnnter. 300 DPI,
200CPS.
Rating: 50%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier Kodak
Pnce £399
DtgTTlger ii
Simple colour video capture system
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 17
Supplier: SA&H
Price: £200
DigMew IV
Simple colour video capture system
Rating: 70%
R e vi e wed: na
Supplier: Silica
Pnce £150
Eznptant
Interesting Macintosh emulator for
A1500t»
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 28
Supplier: Bl titer soft
Price: £254,95
Epson EpUOOO
6PPM. 300DPI laser ongine. 512K
basic RAM.
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier: Epson
Pnce: £799
Epson LQ400
Budget 24 pin monochrorne printer.
121 CPS
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 4
Supplier: Epson
Pnce: £269
Epson LX850
Basic 9-pin engine from Epson.
Three fonts. 106 CPS
Rating: 50%
Reviewed: 4
Supplier: Epson
Price; £269
Epson SQ870
Epson's answer to the Projet Eight
fonts 360 CPS. 360 DPI
Rating- 70%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier: Epson
Pnce: £659
Epson Stylus 800
Budget ink-jet pnnter (it shows).
3600P1. 360 CPS.
Rating: 50%
Reviewed: 29
Supplier: Epson
Price: £295
FD Internal 2000
Internal floppy disk for targe model
Amigas
Rating: 70%
Reviewed 8
Supplier Power Computing
Pnce; £50
Removable optical disk for the
A/TUgS
Ratmg; 90%
Reviewed: 8
Supplier Digital Micronics
Price: £650
Frame Grabber
Real time colour video capture
system
Rating: na
Reviewed: na
Supplier: Marcam
Pnce: £599
Fujitsu B10O
LrtHe known ink-ret Three fonts.
300 DPI. 160 CPS.
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier Fujitsu
Price: £349
Fu*tsuB2O0
Improved B100 Three fonts, 300
DPI. 180 CPS.
Rating- 50%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier: Fujitsu
Price: £499
Fusion Forty
50MHz 68040*FPU accelerator for
the A1500M
Rating: na%
Reviewed: na
Supplier " Power Computing
Pnce: £1999
O-Fofce
25MHz 6803O+FPU for the
A1500(+)fTomGVP
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 15
Supplier Silica
Price: £599
GFo'c* 030
40MHz 68030+FPU for the
A1500(+> from GVP
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 27
Supplier: Silica
Price:
G-ForceAO
28MHz 68040-FPU for the
A1500(+) from GVP
Rating:
Reviewed: na
Suppber MM
Price: £1999
GeneSys
All singing genlock from the UK
masters
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 29
Supplier. G2 Systems
Pnce £934
GenleScen
Hand-held 4000PI monochrome
scanner
Rating: na%
Reviewed: na
Supplier Dett
Pnce: £130
Pnce.
Entry level touch tablet, with a 9* ■
6' working area
Rating: na%
Reviewed: na
Supplier: Date!
Price: £130
G I Scanner
Hand-held 4000PI monochrome
scanner
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 5
Supplier. Golden Image
Pnce £150
Glare Guard
High-pnced performance VDU
screen filter
Rating: 70%
nCVPtWCO- sit?
Supplier: GAD Distribution
Pnce £86.25
GT65O0
Epson's amazing 16.8 million
colour 600DPI flat bed
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: na
Supplier: Power Computing
Price: £1300
GVP OSS
GVP's 8-bit stereo sampler with
volume control
Rating; 70%
Reviewed: 3
Supplier: Silica
Price: £60
GVP Impact II*
Ultimate nard disk/RAM expansion
forA500(*)
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 1.8,13
Supplier: Silica
Pnce £399
GVP Impact IIHC*8
Excellent hard card for A1500*
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 8.13
Supplier Silica
Price: £299
GVPn/24
24-brt video card for A1500t*i
910x576 pixels
Rating; 70%
Reviewed: 12
Supplier: £>.cs
Price: £1799
GVP Series 2
RAM expansion card from the
Amiga masters
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 24
Supplier: Power Computing
Price: £159
Hama290
SHVS genlock with fade and
dissolve
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 16
Supplier HamaPVAC
£749
24t>rt video card for Al500t*).
910x576 pixels
Ratirv* 90%
R eviewed ii
Supplier ACS
Pnce: £1400
ICD Ktckbeck
Keyboard swHchaole Kickstart ROM
Silica
£27
Rating:
Reviewed:
Supplier:
Price:
Image Master
Professional genlock that does it all
Rating: na
Reviewed: M
Supplier. Ner*j
Price; £1150
KCSH02
Higrvperformance. dual high-density
floppy drrve
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 35
Supplier Bitcon Devices
Pnce: £199
Klckswltch
Bmian-motte keyboard switchabfe
Kickstart ROM sharer
Rating: ne
Reviewed: na
Supplwr: Omega Projects
Price: £25
M1230XA
50MHz 68030-FPU a c ce l erator for
the A1200
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 29
Supplier Indy Direct
Pnce £299
Megamix Master
From the Vidi Amiga men an 8bit
stereo sound grabber.
Rating: rva
Reviewed: ne
Supplier Romeo
Price; £39.95
Budget-pnced-general purpose
fade/dissolve genlock
Rating: ne
Reviewed: na
Supplier Power Computing
Pnce; £199
Bud ge t priced 8-ort stereo s ampJ a r
Rating; na
Reviewed; ne
Supplier: Defel
Price: £25
MmtGen
The simplest genlock money can
buy!
Rat.ng: 90%
Reviewed: 31
Supplier Lola
Price: £49.95
NCCP20
Reliable 24 pin impact engine
Eight resident fonts. 115 CPS
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 4
Supplier NEC
Price: £351
Nexus HC
Internal hard dnve card for A1500*
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 8.13
Supplier: Power Computing
Price: £350
No via 301
Internal IDE hard disk for A50Q*)
Rating: 50%
Reviewed: 8
Supplier: Power Computing
Price: £399
0WML380
Tough, omce-type pnnter 24 pin
127 CPS. Three resident fonts.
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 4
Supplier: OW
Price: £386
0W0L400
4PPM, 3000PI LED page pnnter.
Reliable, low-cost. 512K RAM.
Rating: '•<>•
Reviewed: 22
Supplier OW
Pnce: £549
Opal Vision
24-Brt video card for Al500(*».
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
PRODUCT LOCATOR 93
766x580 pixels
Rating:
Reviewed.
Supplier:
Price:
OptomouM
High resolution optical mouse with
no bait
Ratif*: 70%
Reviewed 28
Supplier Gastetner
Price: £14.95
PCDurfDlh*
Dnnbla d*ck*r external loppy disk
fOf Ml AfTHflK
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 0,8
Supplier Power Computing
Prtoe: £120
PC 501
Internal RAM expansion for the
A500
Ratmg: 70%
Revewed: 24
Supplier; Power Computing
Pnce: £30
PC 501*
1 Mb Internal RAM expansion for the
moo*
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 24
Supplier; Power Computing
Price: £36
PC001
Internal RAM expansion for the
Rating:
90%
Reviewed:
20
Suppler:
Silica
Price:
£899
Rembrant
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 24
Supplier : Power Computing
Price: £40
PCS80B
Popular external floppy otsk for all
Amiga*
Rating: 90%
Reviewed; 8
Supplier: Power Computing
Price: £55
External RAM expansion for the
A50C1*)
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 24
Supplier: Power Computing
Price £109
Power Scanner H
Handheld 4000PI monochrome
scanner
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 14
Supplier: Power Computing
£99
HarxHieKl 4000P1 256 colour
scanner
Rating: 50%
Reviewed: 23
Supplier Power Computing
Price. £239
Prima
Internal IDE nard dlsK for A5001*)
Rating; 70%
Reviewed: 8
Supplier: Power Computing
Price; £499
Photorealism; colour printer
Rating: 93%
Reviewed; 37
Supplier: Power Computing
Price: £649
Pro Agnus
2Mb Agnus CHIP for A500/A2O00
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 24
Supplier: WTS Electronics
Price: £139
Pre RAM 001
Internal 512K RAM expansion for
theAfJOO
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 24
Supplier: WTS Electronics
Price: £38
no kam rt«e
internal 512K RAM expansion for
theABOO
Rating: 50%
Reviewed: 8
Supplier: Oatel
Price: £25
ProOen
Simple genlock
Rating: »a%
Reviewed: na
Supplier: Gordon Harwood
Pnce: £130
1.5Mb RAM internal expansion for
theA500
Rutin*- na*
Reviewed: na
Supplier: Datei
Price: £100
Real-time Clock
Essential battery-backed up clock
system for A1200 machine
70%
*■■ 'st Choice
£17 99
24-bn video card for AlSOCVj
1024x1024 pixels
Rating:
Reviewed: 13
Supplier Power Computing
Pnce: £1499
Rendale 8802FMC
Very simple but effective genlock
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 31
Supplier: Marcam
Pnce. £178
Retina
24-brt video card lor A150O.+).
2400x 1200 pixels
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 27
Supplier. ACS
Pnce: £345
RFB42C
Unique 5.25' external floppy drive
from Roctec
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 0.8
Supplier: Silica
Price: £80
Ricoh LP 12 00
6PPM, 40o DPI laser engine with
2Mb basic RAM.
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 32
Supplier. Silica
Pnce: £820
ROC Key
Genlock addon (chromakey) for the
RocGen Plus.
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 19
Supplier Srkca
Pnce: £350
RocOen
Simple genlock with fader
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 8
Supplier Silica
Pnce £117
RocOen Phis
Simple genlock with fade and
dissolve. Noisy
Rating; 70%
Reviewed: 10
Supplier Silica
Price: £199
Roctte
Sexy little slimline floppy dnve for
ail Amigas
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 8
Supplier: Silica
Price: £60
Sample Studio 2
8brt stereo sampler
Rating: ne%
Reviewed: na
Supplier Date)
Price: £70
Sharp j x loo
Hand-held 20OOPI colour scanner
Rating: ne
Reviewed: na
Suppler: Siltca
Phce: £695
Sharp JX300
3000P1 colour flat bed scanner
Rating: na
Reviewed: ne
Supplier Silica
Price- £3600
Sound Enhancer
Bass and treble boost control for
Amiga sound
Rating: na
Reviewed: na
Suppler: Omega Protects
Price: £40
Sound Trap 3
Tiny, if basic, monophonic 8-bit
sound sampler
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 3
Supplier: Omega Projects
Pnce: £30
St.ru.M.4
4PPM. 300 DPI laser. 1M base
RAM.
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier: Star
Pnce: £1173
Star LC200-24
Colour/monochrome impact Four
resident fonts. 91 CPS
Rating: 70%
Reviewed; 4
Supplier: '.,;.-,
Price: £304
HiSoft
£40
Supplier:
Pnce:
Stereo sampler 2
Sort stereo sound sampler with
volume control
Rating: na
Revewed: na
Suppler: Thlogic
Pnce: £40
Supra SOOXP
External hard dnve/ RAM expansion
forA500(*)
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 1.8.13
Suppler: WTS Electronics
Price: £489
Budget pneed Sort stereo sound
sampler with volume control
Reting: 70%
Revewed: 11
SCSI tape streamer for Amigas with
SCSI port
Rating: 50%
Reviewed: 8
Suppler: Omega Projects
Price: £600
Toshiba CD ROM
Cf>R0M for Amigas with SCSI ports
Rating: 70%
Revewed: 27
Supoier: Aiamthera System
Price: £499
V-Lafc
Real-time colour video capture
system
Rating: 70%
Revewed: 17
Suppler: ACS
Pnce: £300
Video Centre 2
Well-endowed genlock from the
British SVMS masters
Rating: na
Revewed: na
Suppler: G2 Systems
Price: £1170
Video Centres
High-performance suite from the
masters
Rating: 70%
Revewed: 7
Suppler G2 Systems
Pnce £1999.99
Video Maater
Budget real-time video capture
system with colour facility
Rating: 70%
Revewed: 25
Suppler: MicroDeal
Pnce: £69.95
VMeocomp 0100
High cost, high performance
genlock system
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 3
Supplier: Silica
Price: £1800
VMeoOigttleer
Real time video capture system
with cok>ur factlrty
Rating: as
Reviewed: na
Supplier: Date!
Pnce: £80
VideoMeeter VM 2
Expensive, htgTvpefformance SHVS
genlock
Rat'ng 50%
Reviewed: 1
Supplier: Power Computing
Price: £799
VkWon
Colour video capture system.
Rating: na
Reviewed: na
Supper: Power Computing
Price: £200
VW Amiga 12 AG A
Popular and powerful budget pneed
video d<grtiser
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier: Rombo
Price: £99.95
VWI Amiga 12 RT AGA
ReaMvna 12-brt video digit uer
Rating: 60%
Reviewed: 36
Supplier: Rombo
Pnce: £199.99
VUI Amiga 24RT AG A
Real-time 2*bit video digrtiaer
Rating: 80%
Reviewed: 38
Supplier: Rombo
Price: £299.95
VXL30
25MHz 6803O+FPU internal
accelerator (or me A500
Rating: na
Reviewed: na
Supplier: Indi Direct
Price: £409
WordSync 2000
Hard disk card for A1500*
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 1.13
Supplier: WTS Electronics
Price: -£450
Public Domain
3D Objects Disk 1
Collection of Sculpt 4D objects
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 8
Suppler: ArmgaNuts
Dish: —
Emulates the C64 on the Amiga
Raling: 90%
Reviewed: 3
Suppler: AmigaNuts
Dish' 1030
ABackup
Hard disk backup utility
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 23
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F759
Ace A»»«fnb*er
Fast Amiga assembler
Rating: 90%
Revewed: 6
Suppler: AmigaNuts
Dish' —
Account Matter
Useful home accounts program
Ratrnf: 70%
Reviewed: 19
Suppler: Various
Disk:
Standard bench tests for tfe Amiga
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 25
Supplier: PD Soft
Disk: V948
MIN
Intuition based archiving tool
Rating: 70%
Revewed: 27
Suppler: Fred Fish
Disk: F825
Amiga E
Strange compiled programming
language
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 26
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: —
Amiga Paecal
Version of Wrth's first attempt at
programming
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 27
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F849
Superb popup address book
Rating:
Revewed: 19
Suppler: PD Soft
Disk: V757
Amlfwt CD-ROM
CD-ROM of Amiga software from
internet
Rating: 94%
Revewed: 37
Suppler: 17-Bit
Disk: CD: £19.99
Antivirus
Rill those vwuses?1
Ratmg: 90%
Reviewed: 19
Supplier: Soft Expression
Disk: U155
Discover the size of a drawer eas >.
Ratmg 90%
Revewed: 28
Supplier; Fred Fish
Disk F853
AReetaure
Restores deleted (trashed) files
Ratmg: 90%
Revewed: 23
Suppler: Fred Fish
Disk: F760
AReax Guide
Very handy AmigaGuKJe help for
ARexx
Rating: 95%
Reviewed: 37
Supplier: PO-Soft
Disk: V1219
ARTM
Amiga real-time system monitor
Ratmg; 90%
Revewed: 7
Suppler: 17-Wt
Disk: 1274
Astro 22
Astrology program — grve Rus.
Grant the pushl
Rating 70%
Reviewed: 17
Supplier: PD Soft
Disk: V685
AutoSave
Execute ARexx senpt at regular
intervals
Rating: 70%
Revewed: 24
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F711
Awp
Animate Workbench 2.0* clock
pointer
Rating: 70%
Revewed: 11
Suppler: Fred Fish
Disk: F554
AZSpofl
Spelling checker for text processors
Rating: 70%
Revewed: 13
Suppler: DG
Disk- D,»k:
Backup
Hard drsk backup utility
Ratmg: 90%
Revewed: 20
Suppler: Fred Fish
Disk: 724
Pnnt huge banners on you Amiga
Ratmg: 70%
Revewed: 10
Suppler: T Bag
Disk: 52
Powerful database program
Ratmg: 90%
Revewed: 28
Suppler Fred Fish
Disk; F860
70%
20
Fred Fish
F729
Buietin board system
Ratmg:
Kevewed:
Suppler
Disk:
BlgAnlm
Animation player for very large ties
Rating 95»
Revewed: 36
Suppler. PD-Soft
Disk: V1230
Boot Logo
Display a picture while booting
Rating. 70%
Revewed: 23
Suppler Fred Fish
Disk: f;>,.i
Basic cross-referencing utility
Rating: 70%
Revewed: 9
Suppler Fred Fish
Disk: F494
ButExchangai
Reverse mouse buttons ((or left-
handers)
Rating: 70%
Revewed: 9
Suppler: Fred Fish
Disk: F494
Cass 11
CDTV Player
Play audio CDs on A570 from
Workbench
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 23
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk; F749
CFX
File type identifier Very handy!
Rating: 90%
Revewed: 22
Suppler: Fred Fish
Dtek: F750
CO Fonts
CompugraphK fonts for Workbench
2
Rating: 70%
Revewed: 19
Suppler: PD Soft
Disk: V713
Chem Balance
Balance chemical equations
Ratmg: 70%
Revewed: 23
Suppler: Fred Fish
Disk: F759
Clock Tick
2.0like clock, mouse pointer
Ratmg: 70%
Revewed: 9
Suppler: T-Bag
Disk: 58
Comma II Collection
Coection of Terminal and related
software
Ratmg: 84%
Revewed: 37
Suppler: Scnbbie PD
Disk: U241a&b
The King James B4Me on three
disks
Ratmg: 70%
Revewed: 19
Suppler PD Soft
Disk: V715-V717
Disk: F809
CZEO
Patch editor for Casw MIDI
synthesisers
Rating: 90%
Revewed: 10
Suppler: Fred Hah
Disk: F223
DataBench
Very good PO database
Ratmg: 70%
Revewed: 26
Suppler: Fred Fish
Disk- F820
DCopy
Disk coper
Rating 70%
Revewed: 10
Suppler: AmigaNuts
Disk: 700
DevRen
Rename devices (mdudrng 0*0: )
Ratmg; 70%
Revewed: 10
Suppler: GTS
Disk: utils 1
DICE
Matt Onion's superb C compiler
Ratmg: 90%
Revewed: 3
Suppler: Fred Fi»h
Disk: F443
Dtek Mate
Powerful Workbench disk coper
Ratmg: 90%
Revewed: 28
Suppler: Fred Rsh
Disk: F754
Disk Speed
Floppy disk drive benchmark
program
Rating: 70%
Revewed: 10
Suppler; GTS
Disk: utile 1
OPalnt Tutorial
Comprehensive Deluxe Paint
tutorial
Reviewed:
22
Supplier: Soft Express
Disk:
U160
OPU
Hex disk and tue editor
Rating.
70%
Reviewed;
20
Supplier:
Fred Rsh
Disk:
F721
Drag It!
Drag a window without having to get
the title bar
Rating:
90%
Reviewed-
25
Supplier:
Fred Fish
Disk:
F792
Dynamic Sky »
Nice astronomy program
Rating:
92%
Reviewed:
37
Supplier;
PD-Soft
Disk:
V1265
EaeyBanker
Home finance program
Ratmg:
70%
Reviewed
10
Supplier
GTS
Disk:
Home2
Electronic Baby Book
All about electrifying babies
Ratmg:
70%
r%*jTneWeJO .
16
Supplier:
POSoft
Disk:
V658
Elements
Penodic table of chemical elements
Ratmg:
70%
Revewed
13
Suppler-
Fred Fish
Disk:
F593
FastlntroMaker
Create your own scrolling demos
Rating:
70%
Revewed:
26
Suppler:
Fred Fish
Disk:
F814
Fie and HO Management
Hard disk dnve utilites
Rating:
90%
Revewed:
15
Suppler.
poson
Disk:
V573
File and NO Management 2
More hard disk drive utilites
Rating:
50%
Reviewed:
10
Suppler:
POSoft
Disk:
V575
Create rendered molecule
illustrations
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 26
Supplier: Fred Fish
Binary We editor (like ZAP)
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 10
Supplier: GTS
Disk: UWsl
We UtMs 3
A collection of file and hard disk
utilities
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 a JULY 1994
.
94 PRODUCT LOCATOR
Rating:
70%
Reviewed:
21
Supplier:
PDSoft
Disk;
V815
SID ctonc for Workbench 2
Rating: 70%
Rev>ewed: 11
Supplier f red Rsh
Disk: F562
Flndlt
Search fof named files on any disk
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 22
*>uppi*er: Fied t isn
Disk: F731
Rash Disk
Another disk optimiser
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 10
Supplier GTS
Disk: UtJls 2
Font Manaf er
Take over control of your bitmapped
fonts
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 10
Supplier D*rt2
Disk: 149
FontVtewar
Keep track of all your bitmapped
fonts
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier; Fred Fish
Disk: F732
Format 1,1
Repiacement for Am^aDOS disk
format
Rating, 90%
Reviewed: 11
Supplier: Fred Fish
DtSk: F535
Four Stroke Engine
Demonstrates the operation of an
internal combustion engine
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 19
Supplier: PD Soft
Disk: V738
Fnc
Adventure game creator for norv
programmers
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 18
Supplier; AmigaNuts
Disk: 1251
G»d tool Bo*
Create Intuition tront ends with
easel
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F731
Grab Kick
Grabs K»cKstart ROM image to disk
file
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 27
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F831
HAM Radio
Amateur radio users utilities in
AmigaBAStC!
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 18
SuppU#r A»rrtvirii PO
Disk: H/00C-H/O1
Collection o* HD uois
Rating:
90*
Reviewed:
Suppher:
GTS
DMt
—
Mam BueJnau Pack
Database. Spreadsheet and Word
processor
Rating:
90%
Reviewed:
26
Suppher
AngfcaPD
Disk:
H61
Horn* Ha*
Computerised grocery
list
Rrrttng:
70*
Reviewed:
10
Supplier:
GTS
Disk:
Homel
Home Manager
Personal organiser
Rating:
90%
Reviewed:
16
Supplier:
PDSoft
Disk:
V660
IBEM
Emulates PC compatibles in
software
Rating:
70%
Reviewed:
3
Supplier: Virus Free PD
Disk:
1485
Kale
A brilliant Shell-based calculator.
Rating:
90%
Reviewed:
22
Supplier:
Fred Fish
Disk:
F742
Input Lock
Turn of mouse and keyboard
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 9
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F494
Install 1.2
Workbench install disk utility
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 26
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F817
JC Graphic D«mo
Domo o( Shoioware graphics
program
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 23
Supplier: Ftad Rah
Disk: F760
Kl Editor
Patch editor for Kawan Kl
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 10
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F332
KeyCe*
Load applications from hotkeys
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 28
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F854
Kingfisher
Detailed database of Fred Fish
disks
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 5
Supplier GTS
Disk: —
IC 24 200 Fonts
DownkMdabte font* fur Star
70%
Rating:
Reviewed:
Supplier:
Disk;
NBS
1503
MMha/Reflei/Logic
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 5
Supplier. Riverdene
Disk: MIS637
IHA1.11
Very popular archiving utility
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 13
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk; F593
Law
ideas processor (like *Flow*».
Rating: 70%
Reviowed: 10
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F285
Lock Device
Better ArmgaDOS Lock command
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 10
Supplier: GTS
Disk: UriS 1
Lock It
Password protect your Ales
Rating: 70%
Renewed: 26
Supplier: Fred Rsh
Disk: F798
U
vmty powerful unt« like IS command
for AmigaDOS
90%
24
Fred Fish
F772
1.0
Record and play back user inputs
Rating 70%
Reviewed: 24
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F786
Magnetic Pages
Create your own disk maga/ine
Retrng: 90%
Hevie *veo . x *
Supplier: PO Soft
Disk: V688
MaM Cvent
Event scheduler
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 20
Supplier: Soft Expression
Disk: U149
MaJnActor
Plays 'Anim' type animations Irom
disk
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 36
Supplier: PD-Sofl
Disk: V1229
Mandle Mountains
Creates 3D Mandlebrot scenes
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 6
Supplier: Soflville
Disk: 751
Map Editor
Map editor lor AMOS BAStC
Mgrammer-.
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 19
Supplier: AmigaNuts
Disk: —
MapTrix
A fractal texture mapping utility
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 28
Supplier: Fred Rsh
Disk: F853
Matter Virus Kilter
Another collection of virus killers
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 1
Supplier: AmigaNuts
Disk: 971
Math Hot
Mathematical function plotter
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 27
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F850
Maths 4 Fun
Maths tutor
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 9
Supplier: AmigaNuts
Disk: 1146
Maths Reflet
Test your maths skills
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 20
Supplier: Anglia PO
»Sk: C728
MED 3.11
Popular and powerful soundtracker
Ratify 90%
Reviewed: 1
Supplier ArngaNuts
Disk: 973
Mega0 2.0
Brilliant SlDlike directory helper
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk F736
MegaED
Powerful text editor
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F743
MemoSnap
Programmers tool to trace tost
memory pools
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 27
Supplier: Fred Fish
Oisk; F826
MessyOOS
Read and write PC disks in an
Amiga drive
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 6
Supplier; NBS
Dtsk: U619
MetsySID 2
Read and write PC disks in an
Amiga drive
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 13
Supplier: PD Soft
Dt$k: V490
Program MIDI applications
Ratir«: 90%
Reviewed: 9
Supplier: Fred Fish
Dtsk F227
MlnTemts
Calculates B»itter Mtnterms
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 28
Supplier Fred Fish
Disk: F560
Module Matter
Play modules in various formats
Ratir^: 70%
Reviewed: 9
Supplier: TBag
Disk 58
Multtplot
Data graphing program
Rating. 70%
Reviewed: 7
Supplier: Fred Fish
Dtsk: F467
NComm
Very powerful terminal emulator
Rating: 60%
Reviewed: 7
Supplier: 17-Bit
Disk; 1275
Database of Fred Fish disks
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 27
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F837
fWwPRT
Printer drivers lor PageStream
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 10
Supplier: Digitiz
Disk: 149
Nice Pre*
Extra Workbench 2.0 Preferences
settings
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 24
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F780
NorthC
Chahtyware C compiler
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 8
Supplier: AmigaNuts
Disk: 1112
PageStream Fonts
Fonts for PageStream
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 10
Supplier: Digiti*
Disk: 149
PaperBackl
Create printed booklets with ease
Rating; 90%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier Fred Fish
Disk: F749
Password protection for your fiard
drive
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 26
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F804
PCQ Pascal
Another version of Wifth's first
attempt
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 6
Supplier: AmigaNuts
Dtsk* 1113
Phone Una Watcher
Keeps track of your phone bill
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 9
Supplier: Tflag
Disk: 58
Pic t Saver
Grabs screens in IFF format
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 9
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk- F543
Popup Menu
Modified Workbench menus
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 23
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F756
Post
Postscript interpieter for normal
printers
Rating: 90%
Reviewed; 27
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk; F828830
PowerSnap
Grab screen text as ASCII files
Rating; 90%
Reviewed: 8
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F542
Printer Driven
Drivers for the Star and Canon
engines
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 19
Supplier: PD Soft
Disk: V724
ProCAD
Shareware PCB designer for
electronics bods
Rating: 84%
Reviewed: 37
Supplier: Softviikf
Disk: SOF920
QOk*
Get si2e of AmigaDOS volumes
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 28
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F853
QMouse
Mouse accelerator for Workbench
Rating; 90%
Reviewed: 24
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F789
RlpparsDIsk
Rip modules from memory
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 5
Supplier; 17-brt
Disk: 1055
RM8 Shift
Select multiple icons on Workbench
1.3
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 11
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F547
RunMa
Run programs from menus
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 9
Supplier: AmigaNuts
Disk: 1186
SetNoCitck
Switch off that annoying empty
/0%
10
GTS
UtHs 1
70%
5
Riverdene
GAM907
90%
16
17 Bit
drive click
Rating;
Reviewed:
Supplier:
Disk:
Shapes
Maths/ Logic
Rating:
Reviewed:
Supplier:
Disk:
SID 2
Powerful directory utility
Raling:
Reviewed:
Supplier:
Disk:
SKSH
Unix *KSH~ like Shell replacement
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 25
Supplier: Fred Rsh
Disk: F791
Slideshow Kit
Create your own slideshows
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 3
Supplier: Virus Free
Disk: 1465
Snap 1.4
Grabs screen teit into clipboard
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 10
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F320
Sound Ed
Sample editor
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 5
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F486
Spectra Petal
Painting package
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 3
Supplier: Slipped Disk
Disk: 19
Spa* 4 Fun
Spelling
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 9
Supplier: AmigaNuts
Dish: 1146
Strip It
Removes comments from ASCII
source code
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 22
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: 750
Super Format
Workbench 2.1 like disk formatter
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 27
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: FH35
Modular screen blanker
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 27
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F83S
Syslnfo
System information program very
race
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 11
Supplier: Fred Flah
Disk F571
Tarm 3.1
Terminal emulator The best
available!
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 27
Suppher. Fred Ran
Disk: F831«33
Text Ptae 3.0
Word processor
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 1
Supplier: PD Soft
Disk V261
Tools Daemon
Run programs from 2.0 Workbench
Tools menu
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 1 1
Supplier: f red Fleh
Disk: FB6J
Touch Typing Tutor
Teach yourself touch typing
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 17
Supplier: NBS
Disk: CLU03
Twilight Zone
After Dark like scroen blanker
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 24
Supplier; Fred Fish
Disk: F782
UnUDIrs
Unix-like directory movement
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 27
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk F850
VWueZ
Virus killer
Rating; 90%
Reviewed: 26
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk: F786
WF1LE
Convert PC and Mac text files
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 24
Supplier: Fred Fish
Disk F776
Will and Testament
Template for writing your own will
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 19
Supplier: PD Soft
Disk: V706
Word Wright
Word processor
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 13
Supplier: PD Soft
Disk: V28
X Tables
Maths (multiplication tables)
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 9
Supplier: ArmgaNuts
Dtsk: 1146
ZX Emulator
Makes the Am«ga mto a ZX-
Spectruml
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 3
Supplier: AmigaNuts
1030
Software
AccuTran* 30
Converts 30 objects
Rum*
Reviewed:
Supplier:
Pnce*
70%
33
Micromouse
£39 29
ADPTools Professional
Remote control for ASDG's Art
Department Pro
Rating; 70%
Reviewed: 35
Supplier: White Night
Prtce: £125
Advantage
One of the best all-round Amiga
spreadsheets
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 1,9
Supplier: S*ce
Price: £100
Aladdin 40
Amazing ray-traced rendering
package
Rating: 93
Reviewed: 38
Supplier: Hobbyte
Prtce: £213
Alternative Scroller
Video titling system
Ratmg: na
Renewed: na
Supplier: Alternative Image
Price: £50
Very popular hard disk backup
system
Rating: 70%
29
Omega Projects
£69.99
Ami ft**** 4
Simple flat hie diabase
Ralmg: 70%
Supplier ; One Vision Software
Pnce £15
AmtgaVblon
Hypercardlike engine
Rating: na
Reviewed: na
Supplier Commodore
Pnce: £80
AMOS
BASIC programming language with
many extensions
Rating; 90%
Reviewed: 3,9
Supplier Europress
Pnce: £50
AMOS 3D
3d extension for AMOS BASIC
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 5.7
Supplier: Europress
Price: £30
AMOS Compiler
Compiler tor AMOS BASIC
Rating: 70%
Reviowed: 5.9
Supplier: Europress
Pnoe: £30
AMOS Pro Compiler
Compiler extension tor AMOS
BASIC
Rating: 70%
AMIGA SHOPPER a ISSUE 39 a JULY 1994
PRODUCT LOCATOR 95
Europress
£34 95
Reviewed:
Supplier:
Price'
AMOS Professional
Bigger, more powerful version of
AMOS
Rating:
Reviewed: 20
Supplier: Europre^
Price: £69.95
AntIA
Font enhancement utility
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 8
Supplier. Zen
FtKc. 140
Art Department PrnhtaaionAl
Latest version of famous image
processor
flaunaj: M I
Reviewed: 37
Supplier: First Computer Center
Price: £149.95
Art Expression
Structured (object oriented! drawing
package
Rating: 70*
Reviewed: 24
Supplier: Silica
Price: £150
Bars and Pipes Pro 2
Very powerful music and
multimedia engine
Rating: 80%
Reviewed: 31
Supplier: Meridian
Price- £299,99
Brilliance
The Amiga's flrst real paint program
for years. A classic
Rating: 95%
Reviewed: 38
Supplier: Meridian
Price- £199.95
Broadcast Titter
Video titling system
Rating 70%
Reviewed: 2
Supplier: Meridian
Price: £327.27
CaHftarl 24
Power drawing at a Dudget price
Rating; 50%
Reviewed: 33
Supplier Amiga Centre Scotland
Prica: £99.95
CanDO 2.51
lljrpcrcordHihe flppi cottons
generator.
Rating; 70%
Reviewed: 33
Supplier: INOVAtron.es
Prtce: £14995
CMPanion
Patch editor for MIDI
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 6
Supplier Gajits
Price £100
Count and Add
Maths
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 10
Supplier: Lander Software
Price: £26
Cygnus ED 3
One of the best pure text editors
around. A programme*** tool
Rating: 90%
Reviewed; 33
Supplier: Silica
Prtce £79.95
Deluxe Paint 4
AGA version available.
Rating: 80%
Reviewed: 10
Supplier: Electronic Arts
Price: £90
Devpac 3
The ultimate assembly language
development tool
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 10.12
Supplier: HiSoft
Pnce: £70
Directory Opus 4
buper powerful graphical window on
AmigaDOS
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 26
Supplier: Silica
Pnce £64 95
Disney Animation Studio
Antfnabon program from the
masters.
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 1
Supplier: Silica
Pnce: £80
Easy AMOS
Stripped down versior of AMOS
BASIC with debugger
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 12
Supplier: Europress
Pnce: £35
Elan Performer 2
Video presentation system
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 11
Supplier: Silica
Price: £180
Specialty generated tenures
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 32
Supplier: Alternative Image
Price: £100
Final Copy 2
Upgrade to the hugety successful
Final Copy
Hating: 70%
Reviewed: 25
Supplier: Gordon Harwood
Price: £79.95
Final Writer
Upgrade to Final Copy 2
Ratmg: 90%
Reviewed: 33
Supplier: Gordon Harwood
Price: £12995
Fun School 3
3 R's software with fun graphics
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 2
Supplier: Europress
Pnce: £25
Fun School 4
3 R's software with fun graphics
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 9
Supplier Europress
Price: £25
GB Route Edit
Editor for users of GB Route Plus
Rating: 80%
Reviewed: 10
Supplier: Complex Computers
Pnce; £30
GB Route Plus
Automated route planning for UK
drivers
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 10
Supplier, Complex Computers
Pnce: £80
OegaMem
Virtual memory for big Armgas with
bigger hard disks
Rating: 90%
Reviewed 33
Supplier: easterner
Pnc«: £69.95
HISoft BASIC
Underrated version of the BASIC
language, internal compiler
Rating 70%
Reviewed: 9
Supplier: HiSoft
Price: £50
HlSpeed Pascal
Interesting implementation ol
Pascal from the language masters
Rat*ng: 70%
Reviewed: 19
Supplier: HiSoft
Pnce: £100
Home Office 2
Superb integrated office suite from
Gold Disk
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 20
Supplier: Silica
Price: £9999
Hyperbook
Another HyperCard clone
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 6
Suppler: Silica
Pnce: £100
Image Master
Powerful image processing system
Rating; 90%
Reviewed: 18
Supplier: Amiga Centre Scotland
Price: £175
70%
27
Silica
£269 95
Rival to Art Department
Rating:
Reviewed:
Supplier:
Price:
Imagine 2
Powerful 30 modelling system
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 14
Supplier: Silica
Price: £270
K Spread 4
Power spreadsheet with GEM like
interface
Rating: 70%
Reviewed; 9
Supplier: HiSoft
Price: £150
UttlceCvS
The most popular commercial C
compiler
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 3,9
Supplier: HiSort
Price: £230
Lets Spelt
Writing
Rating:
Reviewed:
Supplier:
Price:
M2 Amiga
Amiga implementation of Wirth*s
Modular
Rating:
Reviewed:
Supplier: Real Time
Price:
MakePeth
Automate path genera
VistaPro
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 23
Supplier: Meridian
Price- £24.95
Map Master
image mapping system
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 14
Supplier; Alternative Image
Prica: £54
MedlaPotnt
Wgjvend presentation authoring
system like Scaia
Rating: 91%
Reviewed: 37
Supplier: Meridian
Price: £329.99
Micro French
Learn franglais by computer
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 17
Supplier: LCL
Price: £24
Mini Office 2
integrated suite of office software
Rating: 60%
Reviewed: 17
Supplier: Europress Software
Price: £59.95
Movlesetter
Basic cartoon animation package
from Gold Osk.
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 14,23
Supplier: Silica
Price: £59.95
Musk-X
Popular mtdi sequencing software
Rating: 70%
Reviewed; na
Supplier: MicrolHusions
Price: £150
Mutlc X Jnr.
Budget version of Music- v
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: na
Supplier: MicrolHusions
Price: £50
Nexus Backdrops
Backdrops lor specialised video
use
Rating: 50%
Reviewed: 29
Supplier: Video World
Price: £29 95
Noddy's Big Adventure
13 educational games featuring
Noddy Stage 1 Nat. Or
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 35
Supplier: The Jump*n
Company
Pnce; £24.99
OctaMed Companion
Tutonal for OctaMED Pro VB5
Rating- 90%
Reviewed: 29
Supplier: SeaSoft Computing
Price £16-99
OctaMed Professional VS
Very powerful and hugely popular
music/midi editor
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 29
Supplier: SeaSoft Computing
Price: £30.50
PageStream 2.2
Inexpensive page layout program
with Postscript
Rattng 50%
Reviewed: 2.3
Supplier: Meridian
Pnce. £69.95
Pen Pal
Fun word processor with integral
database
Rating 70%
Reviewed: 6.9.25
Supplier: Gordon Harwood
Price: £49.95
Pepe's Garden
The3Rs
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 10
Supplier Pnsma
Price: £25.99
Personal Fonts Maker 2
256 colour font construction utility
from Cloanto
Rating; 70%
Reviewed
36
Supplier:
Meridian
70%
Price.
£59.95
2
Personal Paint 4.0
Soft stuff
Latest version
of Cloanto
.'s DPaint
£20
rival
Rating:
75%
Virth'*
Reviewed;
37
Supplier:
Meridian
70%
Price:
£59.95
7.9
.sociates
Picture Booh
The3Rt
£125
Ratmg:
90%
Reviewed:
10
addon for
Supplier:
Tnpte R Education
Price -
£20
nm
6
ESP Software
£20
PowerSase 3,34
Simple flat file database
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 30
Supplier: Amivtston
Pnce: £14.95
Powerweves 3.1
Makes 3D wave based objects
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 21
Supplier: Database Software
Price' £1795
Pro Draw 3.0
Structured drawing compliment to
Pro Page
Rating. 90%
Reviewed: 27
Supplier Siica
Price: £132
Pro Page 4
Big. well respected page layout
from Gold Disk
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 27
Supplier: Silica
Pnce: £199.95
Professional Cak
Major upgrade of Advantage with
many more features
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: na
Pnce: £150
Protest V6
Latest version of Amor's power
word processor
Rating: 80%
Reviewed: 35
Suppler: Amor
Pnce: £99
Quarterback 6.0
Latest version of popular HD
backup utility
Rating: 82%
Reviewed: 37
Supplier: Meridian
Pnce: £74 95
Quarterback Tools Deluxe
Collection of disk utilities
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 31
Supplier: Meridian
Price £129.95
Real 3D 2
Clever surface texture modelling in
a class of its own.
Rating: 80%
Reviewed: 31
Supplier: Alternative Image
Pnce: £469
Disassembles binary to macro
assembly language
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 33
Suppler: Hehos
Pnce: £130
Scats EE 100
Semi-pro editing for LANC equipped
gear
Rating: na
Reviewed: 36
Supplier: Scala UK
Price* £149
Scala MM300
Costly, all singing, all-dancing video
FX generator
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 36
Supplier: Scala UK
Pric*: £329
Sculpt 40
A genuine classic of ray tracers.
Rating: 90%
Reviewed: 7
Supplier: Alternative Image
Price: £400
Smooth Talker
Video prompting system
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 16
Supplier: Zen Computers
Price: £140
Spellbound
Writing for little ones
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 6
Supplier: Lander Software
Pnce: £26
33
£49.95
Spelling
Rating:
Reviewed:
Supplier:
Prtce:
Studto
AH-smging poster driver
Rating:
Reviewed:
Supplier:
Pnce:
Superbase Personal 2
Very powerful programmable
relational database with forms
Rating 70%
Reviewed: 9.12
Supplier: Ox*i
Pnce: £100
Superbase Pro 4
Very powerful programmable
relational database with forme
Rat** 90%
Reviewed: 4.9
Supplier: Oxxi
Pnce- £400
Superiaml
Musk generation by computer
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 15
Supplier: Blue Ribbon Sound
Pnce: £100
Surface Master
Another gnbbfy surface generator
for Imagine
Rating; 70%
Reviewed: 14
Supplier: Alternative Image
Price: £28
Technosound Turbo 2
Sample editor
Rating: 70%
Reviewed: 30
Supplier: New Dimensions
Pnce: £39.99
Terraform
Edits landsape.DEM files for
VistaPro
Rating; 70%
Reviewed; 26
Supplier: Mendian
Price: £34.99
The French Mistress
French language tutor for all
Rating: 70%
Reviewed t
Suppler: Kosmos
Pnce: £20
T(wch Typttt
Computer aided course in louch
typing
Ranng: 70%
Reviewed: 15
Supplier : Sector Software
Pnce: £14
TrapTAX
FAX software for high speed
modems
Rating: 80%
Reviewed: 36
Supplier. BMtersot
Price: 74.95
Turbo Print Pro
Enhanced pnnung utfHty
Rating. 70*
Revewed: 14.15
Supplier: Mendian
Price: £49.95
T*feSmtth2
Scalable font utility
Rating: 90%
Rcvtewed: 36
Supplier: Mendian
Pnce: £135
Upper Disk Tools
Disk recovery tools
Ratmg; 81%
Reviewed: 37
Supplier: Wheelbarrow Software
Price: 19.95
VistaPro
Real-wortd landscape generator
Rating: 90%
Supplier: Mendian
Price: £100
VTCIock
Video-type clock overlay for video
use
Rating. 90%
Reviewed: 35
Supplier: Zen Computers
Price: £35.25
Wofdworth 2 AOA
Greatly improved version of
Wordworth (and British too)
Ratmg: 80%
Reviewed: 33
Supplier: Dtgita
Pnca: £129.95
Wordworth 3.0
latest version of Digitas high-
power word processor
Ratmg: 65%
Rcv-ewed 37
Supplier: Dfcrta
Price; £149.99
Supplier's list
For information on ths Nbr aria* tupptytng putt*c domain
Chech out our full Uetlng on page 69.
Accolade —
Almethara......
Alternative Image ,„ TI -
Amiga Centre Scotland
Amor . ..„„.
*Ad thaV** aV«.
MH«M Ellll H *"»»"""->'<
"*rntiftiiffiiffi<fiitifii
ftttlwSofl
Cafcului
doudhsU
Commodore „.,„..„ ..,,„„..„
Compeei Compart ere „
Coomb* Va6e> „ „__
0***
Electronic Arte »*»„„+,»,„
Cntertalment Int
E5P %
■"""••«*
»* ■ ■ If |f »*»**»4***»Ii
071 738 1391
0933 660677
061667 0040
0633 440041
... .069 667563
0733 66909
0906 220196
0643 418666
,0604 231711
0626 770068
0706 224S31
0626 779695
0395 270273
0763 649442
061 343 9143
0702 600SS7
0626 659333
.0252 726255
OeJRe.
Oaetelner
\#™U *i*<*»<*4*»**« »«•»#•« i»*i »>*■»*«•« »*«»»» •■•»*•»••* ■••■■*■■ ■*• Kt>a***aajafjfl
Gordon Harwood «»„«.
HiSoft..
Indl Direct
keemo* Softwar
Lander Software
Lola Electronic*
MfjaJheJeaji r
OW Printer*
Omega Protects
Power Computing «™.„.»«
Prteme Software « , ***.««„.*» «««
061 236 2515
061345 6000
071 616 0100
0773 836781
0525 716181
0543 419999
052 5 873942
...041 367 1659
0656 680182
0604 790466
061 963 0663
061 M3 3500
0480 496497
Real Time Associate*
" On^Oe) * m vttn tttttt aau a,,* a m , mm
SeaSoft Computing
Silica
S*ren Software ™*«««« .««.———«««•
The Jumping Bean Company
"t 11 »...*. .»<*.*«, ******
T ripple R" Software
White Knight Technology
Zen Computer Service* „„„„
0291 690933
0753 819819
0942 682206
0234 273000
0244 362244
0616967333
0606 414631
0920 444294
0903 860378
081 309 nn
061474 7572
0494 471111
. — 0602 792838
....0274 678062
0742 780370
0992 714539
Ml 793 1931
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
96 SAFE SHOPPING
Getting confused in the alluring shopping jungle is
easy. Amiga Shopper leads the way to a better buy.
Colourful adverts tempt you
with amazing pieces of
equipment and software for
your Amiga. They are faster, bigger,
better and you are just dying to get
your hands on them. Your first step
to avoid dishonest businesses
(thankfully they are a small
minority, but all it takes Is one!)
and ultimately disappointment on
your behalf. Is to read our Safe
Shopping advice. Follow a few
simple steps and the Amiga kit of
your dreams will safely be yours.
BUYING IN PERSON
• Where possible, always test any
software and hardware in the shop
before taking it home, to make sure
that everything works properly.
• Make sure you have all the
necessary leads, manuals or other
accessories you should have.
• Don't forget to keep your receipt.
BUYING BY PHONE
• Be as clear as possible when
stating what you want to buy and
make sure you confirm all the
technical details. Things to bear in
mind are: version numbers, memory
requirements, other hardware or
software required, and compatibility
with your Amiga (be sure you know
which version of Kickstart you have).
• Check the price you are asked to
pay, and make sure that it's the
same as the price advertised.
• Check that what you are ordering
is actually in stock.
• Check when and how the article
will be delivered, and that any extra
charges are as stated on the advert.
• Make a note of the date and time
when you order the product.
BUYING BY POST
• You must remember to clearly
state exactly what you are buying, at
what price (refer to the magazine,
page and issue number where it's
advertised) and give any relevant
information about your system set-up
that will reduce the risk of hiccups.
• Make sure you keep copies of all
correspondence.
MAKING RETURNS
You are entitled to return a product if
it fails to meet one of the following
criteria:
O The goods must be of
'merchantable quality."
O They must be "as described".
O They must be fit for the purpose
for which they were sold, or for the
purpose you specified when ordering.
If they fail to satisfy any or all of the
criteria, then you are entitled to:
• Return them for a refund.
• Receive compensation for part of
the value.
• Get a replacement or free repair.
• When returning a product, ensure
you have proof of purchase and that
you return the item as soon as
possible after receiving it. That's why
it is important to check it thoroughly
as soon as it is delivered.
GETTING REPAIRS
• Always check the conditions of the
Buying by Mail - Ten Steps to Safety
When you're buying from any mail order company, it's
worth following Amiga Shopper's useful guidelines to
avoid confusion and disappointment:
1.) Before you send any money, ring the supplier to
make sure the item you require Is In stock. Ask
questions about the company's policy on delivery and
returns of faulty equipment. Make sure that there are
no hidden costs such as postage and packaging. Find
out when you can realistically expect to receive your
goods.
2.) Always read the small print In adverts. This is
normally where the unpleasant surprises are hidden
3.) Beware companies that do not include their
address on their adverts. Also, avoid companies which
do not answer or return your calls.
4.) By tar the best method of payment is by credit
card. If ordering goods of more than £100 in total
value, remember that you are legally entitled to claim
compensation from some credit companies if the
retailer goes bust. Check your credit card company's
policy carefully. You can also try to get extra Insurance
In advance.
5.) If you're not paying by credit card, pay by cheque.
Never send cash, and avoid using postal orders.
6.) Keep records. If you are buying by credit card keep
a note of the time of the order and ask for an order
number. When ordering anything over the telephone,
always double-check the price.
7.) When sending a cheque keep a note of the cheque
number, the date and the exact value. Make sure you
know the exact name of the mall order company.
8.) When you receive your goods, check them
carefully. If anything is missing or faulty, contact the
supplier immediately.
9.) Always order from the most recent issue of Amiga
Shopper.
10.) If a problem does arise, contact the supplier In
the first instance. Calmly and politely tell them your
problem. Most problems turn out to be minor hitches
or misunderstandings that can easily be resolved. If
you think you have a genuine grievance, contact your
local Trading Standards Officer. The number Is In the
phone book.
guarantee, and servicing and
replacement policy.
• Always fill in and return warranty
cards as soon as possible, and
make sure that you are aware of all
the conditions in the guarantee.
BUYING PD
• Even though PD software is
relatively inexpensive, you should
still apply the guidelines set out
above, making sure that you confirm
all orders as clearly as possible.
• Shopping around is still important
when buying PD because different
sources charge different prices for
the same disks. There is no set
pricing structure for disks, but bear
in mind that PD houses are meant to
be non-profit-making operations. QJ
ADVERTISERS
1st Computer Centre 64-65
Amiga Format 58-59
AngliaPD 73
Artworks.... 91
Cumana 44
D.G.P 91
Dart Computer Services 73
Direct Computer Supplies 36
Dominator One PD 91
Exclusive PD 91
Future Computing Books 82-83
Harwoods 52-53
Hobbyte 74-75
Just Amiga Monthly 44
Lola Electronics 44
Owl Associates 73
Sidmoum Software 91
Silica Systems 15, IBC
The Computer Shop 91
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
COMPETITION 97
SHOPPER
Issue 39 - July 1994
Editor:
Art Editor
Production Editor:
Technical Writer:
Consultant Editors:
Contributors:
Cliff Ramshaw
Ntek Aspell
Anna Grenstam
Graeme Sandiford
Jeff Walker. Mark Smiddy
Gary Whitcloy . WHf Rees
Oave Winder, Toby Simpson, R Shamms Mortier
Photography: Ash ton James. Ford Robinson
Ad Manager. Jackie Garford
Senior Sales Executive: Anne Green
Sales Executive: Diane Clarke
Ad Production Manager: Tracy O'Donnell
Ad Design: Lisa Witney
Production Technicians: ion Moore. Mark Gover.
Simon Windsor. Chris Stocker
Group Production Manager: Judith Mlddleton
Production Controller: Claire Thomas
Production Control Assistant: Megan Doole
Paper Controller: Fiona Deane
Admin Assistant: Suzannah Angelo-S parting
Distribution: Sue Hartley
Publisher: Steve Carey
Joint Managing Director: Greg Ingham
Books Of The Month: V, Gravity's Rainbow
and Vineland
All cracking books which we thoroughly recommend!
Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations
Audited circulation
ABC July - December 1993: 37.583
Printed by Southern print Ltd. Poole. Dorset
ISSN 0961-7302 Printed In the UK
Circulation Manager Jon Bickley
News Trade Distribution -
UK: Future Publishing 0225 442244
Worldwide: MMC Ltd 0483 211678
Copyright O 1994 Future PubHaMr* Ltd. No part of tM*
magazine may be reproduced without written permission We
welcome contribution* lor publication but rei
cannot return any submissions. Any correspondence will be
considered for publication unless you lpectftcalty state
otherwise, and we reserve the right to edtt letters published.
Issue. Where passant we have acknowledged the copyright
holder. Pleats contact us tf we have tatted to credit your
copyright - we will bo happy to correct any oversight.
Editorial and Advertising: 30 Mwimoutrt Street. Bath, Avon
BA1 2BW
-0225 442244 Fax: 0225 446019
E-mail: amshopper@cix.compulink.co.uk
Subscriptions: Future Publishing Ltd. FREEPOSTf BS4900}
Somerlon. Somerset TA11 6BR. "0225 822510
Your Guarantee of Value
This magazine comes from
BBBBBBBBBBaaai Future Publishing, a company
ill I J*^b% founded just eight years ago
\af II \af I \e> but now selling more computer
Pl'BLJSH'JVG magazines than any other
publisher In Britain. We offer:
Better advice. Our titles are packed with tips,
suggestions and explanatory features, written by the
best tn the busmeea.
Stronger reviews. We have a cast-Iron policy of editorial
independence, and our reviews give clear buying
recommendations.
Clearer design. You need soUd Information, and you need
ft fast. So our designers highlight key elements In the
articles by using: charts, dfacrama. ■
annotated photographs and so on.
Greater relevance. At Future, editors operate under two
golden rules:
• Understand your readers' needs.
• Satisfy them.
More reader Interaction. We draw strongly on roaders'
contributions, resulting in the liveliest letters pages and
the best reader tips. Buying one of our magazines Is like
i nationwide user group.
Better value for money. More pages, better quattty:
magazines you can trust.
The home of Britain's finest computer magazines:
Amiga Shopper. Amiga Format, Amiga Format Specials.
Amiga Power, PC Answers. PC Plus. PC Gamer.
Sega Power. Mega. Commodore Format. PCW Plus.
ST Format. GamesMaster. Amstrad Action. PC Format.
Total), Super Play, Edge. MacFormat. Future Music.
CD-ROM Today. Amiga CD32.
We've got 14 copies
of Final Writer, top
word processor in this
month's round-up, to
give away. Get your
thinking cap on!
Fourteen copies of Final Writer to give away -
quite a set of prizes, eh? That's over £1,000
worth of top-quality software. And all thanks
to the generosity of the good folk at Softwood
Products Europe.
If you want to know why Final Writer is worth
winning, why not check out the humongous word
processor review round-up starting on page 9? If
ikS
'li.^3jaaiaf gj
o*U*i*fet.t
lUlfcMtrfl
J
a
:*
f«B^Mola»podJElkaM«a^«Saidm-
For the style conscious. Final Writer provides
configurable style sheets, giving you the freedom
to create that special look with minimum fuss
Sing, to the tune of Europe's hit song, "It's the
Final Writer..." And what with all the features It
has. It may well be the last wp you'll ever need.
you do, you'll find that the program that comes out
on top, and by quite a wide margin, is the very
same Final Writer that we're giving away here.
Aren't we good to you?
Winning couldn't be easier (well. OK, we could
just give everyone a copy...) - stick your answers
to the three questions below down on a postcard
or the back of a sealed envelope, along with your
name and address, and send your entry to:
The Write Stuff
Amiga Shopper
Future Publishing
29 Monmouth Street
Bath
Avon BA1 2DL
Please state on your entry if you don't want your
name included on a mailing list. The closing date
for entries is 8 July. Only one entry per household
will be accepted. Good luck. CD
THOSE EASY-PEASY QUESTIONS
1) How many user-configurable button strips do you get with
Final Write fi
2) Final Writer can import structured drawings created in other
packages, using the EPS format. What does EPS stand for?
3) To help implement its Postscript support, Final Writer makes use
of a shareware library called post.library. What is the name of
this library's author?
You'll find the answers to all of these buried in the word processor feature on
page 9, which you've no doubt read in detail anyway. Should be easy then, eh?
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
98 NEXT MONTH
1
i
1
101000lftl«1«ll«l»1l 01 101M«101010I lOIOl 101 101 1010W161 0101 101 01 101 101 00*1010101 10101 101 101
•OO1O101O1 101011 01 101 0001 010101 101 01 I 01 101 OO«O*O1»!0101 101011 01 101 000101 01 01 101 01 I 01 !•!•••
101010110101 10110100010101011010M01010I101111010101 10101 101 10100O10 t 0101 10101 1010101101 n
IQIOOmilfllSIJOJO ilQl lfllggQlf^ A- J| 101 l«U510O01 0101 01 101 01 101 I 010001010101 101*1101 101
•ooiolUAKiFicfff OflfYV S ^47ffrfwCr 10,0110101iei101000101010MO,a1fo110100#
lOlOlOnoTOMOllOlOOoToiOrOl 101011 IO1O?911O110fToiO1 101 01 101 1010001 01 0101 101011010101 1011 1
101OOAM0O10M0101 101 101 0001 -.«■■. 3101 J01101 1010001 01O1O1 10101 101 101 OOO 1 010101 10101 101 101
■ ill lljjllQPi^<^iflO%4^ilf 0T^MW%^>0010101011OlO11011O1O0O101O1O11OlOI lOllOlOOt
10 loWWof^fflfJW'oioToiWBlimWo'lftl^l 1010101 101 01 101 1010OO101 010110101 101010110111
1O1OO01O1O1O1 101 01 101 101 0001 WO I 01 10101 101 10>t 10)1 0001 01 0101 10101101 101 0O010101 01 10101 101 ioi
•««1O«#Mff0|f«lp|n|fMg|A|M;Mf4|«fAlO1Ol 10101 101 1010001010101 10101 101 I010O0
ioio^Pin§WiioSwWoiifo^*^'fo^oJpWfw%wioi 10101 101 101000101 oionti 01 101010110m
1010001010101101 01 101 101 0001010 I 01 10101 101 101 101000101010110101101 • 01 0001010101 10101 ioi 101
oooioftaMifiMvg' f f+fjSfrffttflf 1 1cn <01 0000001 01 010 1101 01 101 101 0001 010101 10101 101 101 OOO
10iO im ifl*CllHlCrl IICh|o>101!011 1 1010101 1 01 01 101 1010001 010101101 01 101 0101 101 11
1010001010I0I 10101 101 1010001010101 10101 101 101 1010001 010101 10101 101 1010001010101 101 01 101 101
•091010101 1O101 101 101OOOI01O1 01 10101 101 101 000000101010110101 101 10100010101 01 10101 101 101000
1010101 10101 101 1010001010101 10101 1010101 101 11 1010101 10101 101 1010001 01 0101 101 01 1010101 101 11
101000101 0101 10101 101 1010001010101 1010 1101 101101000101010110101101101000 1010101 10101 101 IOI
•001 01 0101 10101 101 101 000 I 01 01 01 101 01 101 101 0000001 01 0101 10101 101 1010001 01 01 0110101 101 101000
1010101 10101 101 1010OOI01 0101 101 01 1010101 101 11 1010101 101 01 101 1010001 01 0101 101 01 101 0101 101 11
1010001010101 101 01 101 1010001010101 10101 101 ioi 1010001 01 0101 10101 101 101 0001010101 101 01 101 101
0001010101101 01 101 101000101 0101 101 01 101 101 000 0001010101 10101 101 1010001010101 10101 101 101 000
101010110101101101000101010110101 10101011011 11010101 10101 101 1010001 010101 101 01 1010101 101 11
1010001010101 10101 101 101 0001010101 10101 101 101 1010001 010101 101 01 101 101 0001010101 10101 101 101
000101010110101101101000101010110101101101000000101010110101101101000101010110101101101000
1010101 10101 101 1010001010101 10101 1010101101 II 1010101 10|*|di0M0a0OO1 01 010.1101 011010W1 101 11
1010001 010101 10101 101 101 0001 010101 10101 101 1011 010001 01 ll , ffOW FO Co6r 101101
0001010101101011011010001010101 10101 101 101 0000001 oioio™o*ionli"»io"'^ 2r^oi 101000
1010101 101011011010001010101 101011010101 101 11 1010101 10101 101 101OO01 I01O101 IOJOI 1010101101 11
101000101 0101 10101 101 101 0001 010101 10101 101 101 101 000101 0101 io0#iga»4n^pi ei 101 01 101101
0O01010I01 10101 101 10100O1 010101 10101 101 101 0O0OO01 010101 101 Ort*****>O^OlJWl 10101 101 101000
1010101 10101 101 1010001 01 OIO1 10101 101 0101 101 11 1O10101 10101 lOJlfi 10001 01 OlOUO^l 101010110111
101 00O1 010101 10101101 I01O0O10IO1OI 10101 101 101 IOIOOOI 01 fl ■) ll||#M^| A J^| A I 10101 101101
1 010101 10101 101 10100010) 0101 101 01 101 101 0000001 oioio^PioWoWftfMOjio^fooi 01 101 101000
101 01 01 10101 101 1010001010101 10101 101 0101 101 II 1010101 10101 101 1010001010101 10101 IU 0101 101 II
1010001 01 0101 101 01 101 1010001010101 10101 101 101 101 0001 oi 01 01 ioi|uoy f *#f£MWr 101 ,01 ,01
0001 010101 10101 101 1010001010101 ioioi 101 1010000001010101 ioi oilWUoifCCrUi 101 101000
1 010 1 01 10 1 01 101 101 0001 010101 1 01 01 101 0101 1011 1 1010 101 101 01 lonoiooo 101 0101 1 01 01 101 0101 101 11
1010001 01 0101 10101 101*010001010101 10 101 10 11 01 1010001 01 flpil||riu^ooaioiAioj 10 101 101 101
0001 010 1 01 10101 101 10100010101 01 10101 101 101 0000001 0101 o| w°ww ff«©o^© ■ -T ©01 101 101 OOO
1010101 101 01 1011 010001010101 101 01 101 0101 101 11 101 0101 1 01 01 101 101 0001 01 0101 101 01 101 0101 101 11
101000101010110101 101 101 000*010101 10101 101 101 1010001 01 01 01 lOfc^OllilpOOlO 10 101 1010 11 01 101
000 101 01 01 10101 101 101 0001 01010* IOI 01 101 1010000001 010101 101 if fO^Bpii 1 0101 10101 101 101000
1010101 10101 ioi 1010001 01 010110101 1010101101 11 1010 101 101011 01 10T0001 010101 101 01 1010101 101 11
101000 1010101101 01 101 101 0001 010101 101 01 101 101 1010001 01 mai i|]iy|ii 01 OOOOUOl Oil 1101101 .
000101010110101101101000101010110101101101000000101010I PoVwrtCfo If CCM1 ,0,OOS
1010101 IOIO1 101 1010001 01 0101101 01 1010101 1011 noioioi io^monoidS*nn"ioTroio*rnnB , roi ion I
1010001010101 10101 101 1010001010101 10101 101 101 1010001 01 0101 101 Of 1 01 10* 0001 010101 1010 1101 101
0001010101 loioiionoioooioioioi 1010110110)0000001010101 101 oi ^j^^ : fM%y iC %/10f f 1101000
101 01 01 10101 101 101000 101 0101 101 01 1 010101 101 111 010 1 01 1 0101 ioitM1ooi14Vt#iio^*MMoiioiii
1010001 010101 10101 101 1010001010101 10101 101 101 1010001 01 0101 101 01 101 101 0001010101 10101 101 101
•OOIOIOIOI 1O10I 101 101OOOI01 0101 10101 101 1010000001010101 10101 101 1010Q01 01 01 01 101 01 10 II 01 000)
101010110101 1 01 101000101 0101 101 01 1010101 101 11 1010101 IOIOI 101 1O10OO 101 010 1 10101 101 01 01 101 11
have to
THEY ARE THE CHAMPIONS • THEY ARE THE CHAMPIONS
And they've both deservedly won issue 37's
Multimedia Madness competition, and will soon each
be receiving a complete multimedia set-up, comprising
a CD-ROM drive, SCSI Interface, hard disk, extra RAM
and a copy of Scala MM300. Didn't they do well? But,
you may be wondering, who are these mysterious
"they"? Well, their identity shall remain a secret no
longer. The winners are: D March of Norton, Sheffield,
and D Stoneham of Hammersmith, London. Well done
both of you.
.
BE SURE TO AVOID
DISAPPOINTMENT -
RESERVE YOUR
FAVOURITE ,
MAGAZINE AT
YOUR LOCAL
NEWSAGENT NOW!
DEAR NEWSAGENT, Please reserve/deliver me a copy of dm/go Shopper every
month, beginning with the August issue, which goes on sale on Tuesday 5 July.
Name
Address
Postcode tt
• NOTE TO NEWSAGENT: Amiga Shopper is published by Future Publishing (0225
442244) and is available from your local wholesaler.
PS Oh, and if you
do have any
problems getting
hold of your
favourite Amiga
mag, call Kate
Elston on 022S
442244 and she'll
help you oat.
AT-A-GLANCE
GUIDE
To help you find what you want
quickly, here is a cross-
referenced list of everything
covered In this month's Amiga
Shopper. You'll find a detailed
Index to the problem-solving
Amiga Answers section on page
41. The page numbers given are
for the first page of the article In
which the subject Is mentioned.
A1200 CD-ROM
26
A4000T
24
ADPro
32
Amiga Format
58
Amiga DOS
70
AmigaDOS 3 Tutorial
35
AMOS
54
Animation
31
Answers
41
AutoCAD
30
Back issues
62
Buying advice
96
C Programming
77
Comms
68
DCTV
52
Digital Creations
50
EdWord
9
Electronic Arts
50
Excellence
9
Final Copy 2
9
Final Writer
9
Future Publishing Books
82
Hanna Barbera
31
ImageFX
32
ImageMaster
32
Image Mirror
32
Imagine
30
Interchange Plus
30
Internet
68
Letters
38
Mitsumi FX001D
35
Music X
28
NASA
52
News
4
Next month
98
Opinions
76
PD World
84
Pen Pal
9
Personal Write
9
Pornography
76
Product Locator
92
QuicHWrite
9
Reader ads
40
Real Time Clock
34
Smarty Paints
34
Subscriptions
66
SuperGen
52
Tandem controller
35
Top Cat
31
UNIX
68
User groups
80
Video Titling
60
Video Toaster
30
Window Shopper
34
Wordworth 3
9
Are there any products or
subjects you'd like us to take a
look at? Well, just drop a line to:
Amiga Shopper,
30 Monmouth Street,
Bath, Avon BA1 2BW.
AMIGA SHOPPER • ISSUE 39 • JULY 1994
FROM SILICA - THE UK's No1 AMIGA SPECIALISTS
CONTACT US FOR YOUR FREE 64 PAGE AMIGA CATALOGUE
Software Pack
Whin ywi buy your Amp from Sii
our advertised prices *t »'ii give )0v oiw
or five hM OKI Tru 9A3 «cMM me ■**
Chaos p*cn GFA One I Pftotea P»w it
Chea tn* »s M see when efts come with
uch Amiga from SiMj An enhanced AGA
rttiton ol Chaos thai takes tun advantage ot lha
AA Chipset mil M sent with A1?00 & A4000t
CHAOS ENGINE
PINBAii FANTASIES
NICK FALDOS CHAMPKONSHIP GOLF
CHAOS PACK:
QFA BASIC v3.5 ■ Powerful Basic Programnwg Language .
PHOTON PAINT II - Powerful Graphics Pambng Package .
TOTAL VALUE: £265 91
£25.99
£34.9©
£29 99
£34 99
£125.96
£50.00
E89 9'j
AMIGA 600
LEMMINGS PACK
AMIGA 600
WILD, WEIRD & WICKED
AMIGA 600hd
EPIC ♦ HARD DRIVE
AMIGA 1200 PACKS + HA o« IVE
RACE 'n' CHASE COMPUTER COMBAT
1 YEAR OH »TI - AT HOW WAMUHTY
ON a : CONFIGURATIONS
FREE DELIVERY
PACK INCLUDES:
• <* AMUA 600
• 9UILT-H 1-DftlvE
• 8*1* TV WOOULATOR
• DEUIXE TAINT W
• lEUMrNOS
*R££ FHOU«UCA*5^TooU*n
TQTAl PACK VAUJ£
C199M
IE SSt*AC*5A VINO
5*JCAPftCE
C431M
DttM
n»oo
1
RAM
mrnoMsiY
£189
•IC VA 7
2WOU&V saw
1 £219
*' *WC Mft • ** u
FHQTQN
1 U» W SITE ATKHK AASruMr
ON a CONRGU*VfcTiGfW
PACK INCLUDES:
• 1* AMIGA 600 C1W99
• &*t* i. cmt i tv uooutw
• DELUlE PAINT ■. f 79 99
• MiCBOPftOSC GRAND WW 134 W
• SILLY PUTTY C25»
• PUSHOVER C25»
raff from silica i^TrcL.h. nisoe
TOTAL PACK VALUE C492 91
LfSS tMCJTSA W*G C29J9t
SJUCAPRKC C 199 OO
1
l||
£199
INC -* 7 *.MC««9
** AMC0W«»UM(«6
« (X SITE* AT K*E ftiMAKTY
\ « *»- c(y^»suR*^c^s
PACK INCLUDES
• fta *»G**X.
• wc *9>^A>em«
• im* pop n€SM€AD(y evil
• *E ,-iAl .'ifftMll PQfUMQUB
«lf rni3MHLiCA-&M« T .
2^
C29M
C2S M
C1999
0949
PACK VAL Irf C750.M
&AC* SAVtNG t-*0! 36
SUCA PRICE £149 00
1
64
£349
F«EE DELIVERY
-O.UMS
RACE H' CHASE
2 o £299
*r 80 £449
2 127 £499
2 200 £549
2 340 £699
1 YEAR ON VTI/AT HOIK WAMUNTY
'J ALi CCW^aUNA'lONS
FREE DEL/VEflV
• iVf**T*n)*\ * D* h (to **"•»
• /Ml 1 *
[EmM TopLiU)
*•_ . P £349
2 so £499
2 127 £549
2 200 £599
2 340 £749
AMIGA 1700 SPtClHCATlOHS *
AMIGA 4000
SPECIFICATIONS
uwon
0#Trn *
I fEAROSSnE-AThOmWAIWAHTY
QH- COW»OiUR-UOrtS
FREE DELIVERY
"I mriMmQ
^
'p
m mttwAtfM Pv taoM
•
AMIGA 4000
CONFIGURATIONS
The AfftQA 4000 OMEC. WOLC *od
040 SCSI t.-iawi Aft avdiifltil* »n
wvtmi RAMi'Hufd Dfive op»H»n* '»um
Stlica (Dle«s« iff Mkw) AJI art 'n»y
cortguftd and *»rov«! wl conv
ConvnUOiftt U one yM' on U*
*a"arjy RAM t«gradK oV9 Wo
«v«AltM ^ SAC! Out to Curttnl
nuctuatkor^ .fi tfw market, piMM call
lor upgradi pnett
NEW MODEL
25mhz 68030ec
DESKTOP
4Mb 01>1 HARD
RAM L I 4Mb DRIVE
INC VAT AMB3215
COLOUR MONITOR
AMIGAS
m urn
Th« A4000 'una af up to 21 tuna* in<
oflhaAolOD
25mhx 68040lc
DESKTOP
6 214 £1649
6-. 540 £1899
• MAJMCBUIM
• *E5CLLTiC*6 . '" I
OfCN auchttcctum:
taifcAfy y wVq (MnCy 0* 'Tvxn *o#
• *i*»«TffIWO«&OTS^Ol*»iS»
•3«-ATSLcnsnw
• w?*«VCI0Sl0Ti10«l
POWER;
25mm, 68040
SCSI TOWER
NEW.'
AA
CHIPSET
6 214 £1999
6 525 £2299
e iob 12599
RAM UPGRADES
CALL FOR PRICES
FREE SfERfO SPEAKERS « CABU
FOR COHHKTION TO THE AMIGA
MICROVITEC 1438 MONITOR
• 28mm D« Pncn 14" Colour
Screen
• Up !o 1024 x 768 Resolution
• 1 5-38km/ Honz Frequencies
• Analogue ROB Input
• External Controls. Brightness
Contrast. Horizontal and
Vertical Centnng'Height
• Anti-gl
Screen
• Stereo
Sound
FOR ALL AMIGAS
TOEE OEUVm
O APPROVED
a fully autftoriftad An^;j»i
can upya<Jo A"i*yrt H00
S Id tW
deaWf. W<
or 1200 > t *im haro dnves tor rawo*
■*a>ng amrmr% unlhoul afecfcng
Ccrvnotforaa oftoal on Ma
tvananty Wa 0*1*1 otfw opgradaa
ana ref>a*r aervcA tor A5O0 anri
ASOOolms compulan
UPGRADES & REPAIRS
• Ljfost toaf 0quipment
9 20 1 1 a«n#d i¥cf\ntctan s
• rOOCH o*p*fs rfi itoc*
■ FAST 4BT*x# S0fVK*
• Wecmnc<*+:li£$*VATt
• FREE mtum i\mnm
• AW wxyth QU*tmntomJ
CALL FOR A PRICE UST
a 14 R4*^t C^-Ugi CtA^ IV Mv-rfu*
a ii«RGBScylSodalk)riM««iAM
• lifafWfWTrtltCOfltlul
• OoWT-fwr
• RKftSM'atf**
a «Oi»«^
ProgrirMv llMary
fRIEAmqaScan
mci De ffi»
CaMfiomSAa
£169
- PLUGS INTO THE BACK 0* THE CO*
- AL LOWS VOU TO PLAY VI0W CDs
'\A ww V «e*e* **-* I
■ CO-l LIMfAB COMPATIBLE
^. to pw, CO . !*•■* i
. PfRrfCT FREEZE FRAME
• INSTANT TRACK
SELECTION
• SUPCA0CO
QUALITY S0UN0
n?Ef D£L/VEflv
:^
E199
* roil IUkM>{ Or (.AM* 1 ! t«M5 &
TITLES *"l *VAILAftLC
•OR CO* CALL 'OR A PUCt UST
riai
CD40U CO*KH K
M»«llKrrac9 »•»««* '*<
2i* RAM
CO OUALfTY STCRtO SOUND
t« • MUCH COLOUR PAIETTE
GAMES FTOM BELOW Q0
plugs «io a tv or MONnoR
KLAYS MUSIC COf
DUAL SPEED
T»**Nn on «na« we* « tM «
vanar, C&BOU Mt
UW.TVSESSJON
RM0gr««Auoilior>CO% M"N
. 1t BUTTON CONTROL PAO
COMPATIBLE WtTH MCOTV TITLES
- L*CAR COMPATBLE
' **~ rv» -^« - w co-
• SfREE CO TITLES
• ucnocosw •owotCNonc
• DtftGEFOJSSTPfftt aOBCAR
oeuvo»y
CD 32
* I FREI
CD TITLES
£239
THE SILICA SERVICE
Before you decide when
to biiv your ne* compuler,
*• tuggesf youffw* very
-.tt* (^ caraMy aoom WHERE
• M* 4 W you buy * Cons«Jer what I
.'E T° win be kke a tew moneu after
you have made your purchase,
when you may require additional peripherals or
software, o* help and advc* And. will the company
you buy from contact you with dettas of new products' 7
AiSeca we ensure »ial you w« have notwg to worry
about WW> our urmvaeBd e a penenoe and expertae we
can moet our customers* requirements wrth an
understanding when is second to none Complete and
return the coupon now for our latest FREE literature
and Mgtt to oxpenenoe the "S*ca Service'
• FR£E OVCWMhT OBJVBIY:
On jn "i'flwiff oro« sfropefl m the OK mamttnfl
InTerc is a small ctwrge loi Salurtiy delivery)
• TECHNICAL SUPPORT HELPUNE:
A team of technical experts will be at your service
• PRKC HATCH:
We match competitors on a "Same product - Same pro
ESTABLISHED IS YEARS:
.'(••■ ■!.(.'■ iprowitiKi wort wproliWPtfO M y u iei •••-'
t PART Of A Oim A YEAR COMPANY:
With over 200 sUH - We are solid reliable and piodtaDB
• JUe^faftg»EDC>CArX^.GO^ie>aMfP»T
VotimftstaatsafCM*** Tii.fiBi 308 OSM
• SHOWROOMS:
We nave demonstration facilities at all our stores
• THE FULL STOCK RANGE:
At ot your computer retirements are availaOle I'om one
sptoaWsupphr
• near catalogues-.
wm be mamed to you. witft special reouced pnee offers, as
well as details on all software and periphery
• PAYMENT
We accept most major credit cards cash cheque or
ffloalWy terms iAPH?9&". - wntfen quotes on request)
PLUS TECHNICAL AND MEAD OFFICE
081-309 1111
1-d TWMEWS. HAT*€Ri£» ROAD, SOCUP. Kew . DA14AOX
PIUS BRANCHES AT:
BRISTOL Deoenkj' • Si James Balon 0272 291021
CHELMSFORD Oetff^i"* 2?HiohSlree! 0245 355511
CROYDON 11 jt Nonti End Ml -681 *455
GLASGOW DtteatarK *• ^. . Streel M1-221 0188
GUIL0F0R0 Detn'urTrs MillDrook 0483 301300
HULL Dr»n-is - ■ EW94 0482 25151
IPSWICH DcDennam5 ■*><■•*»< . WestgaleSl'ee: 0473 221313
LONDON 52 Toner- ■'■gad 071-580 4000
LONDON Oeortaro sr ^ 334 r - 071493 3735
L0N0ON irirjaesto^-*^ 369CWotcS' 171-671 1234
LUTON Dettennams • OPEN 66.94 0582 21201
MANCHESTER DeUenriams htarket SU6«1 061-832 8666
PLYMOUTH Deoenhams OPEN 11M4 0752 266666
SHEFFIELD Deoe*ans -c^ The moot 0742 768611
SI0CUP MTfctfews Hameneyfioafl 081-302 8811
SOUTHAMPTON Deoentiam', Queensway 0703 223888
SOUTHEND Kedd - , Slreel 0702 468039
•0 Wika* rwyn
rTJr
aiol
PLEASE SEND ME A 64 PAGE AMIGA CATALOGUE
Mr/Mis/Miss/Ms
I
I Surname
I
■ Company i.< wt^iwi:
I
I
I
I
Initials
■
Address
■ ■ ■
Fi*t*.*.itt*"*i*-r*-iitiititri
Postcode
■
-
I Tel (Home):
1 TeMWork)
I
I Which computerls). if any. do you own'
I
... .... ♦_ t f L/
1 W«i4Bitti9«Me^««rtfl^0^ft^
I
I
'A
i
I
There's a new, highly versatile, dual purpose
colour monitor that's unbelievable value for both
business and games use.
Compatible with all workbench modes, the
Auto-Scan 1438 has high performance electronics
and an ultra fine tube for sharp, crystal clear
images.
Designed and built to exacting standards for
assured reliability and quality by Microvitec, the
UK's leading monitor manufacturer, features
include:
14" screen
0.28mm dot pitch
1 5-40 kHz
Fully autoscanning
MRPII compliant
Designed and manufactured in the UK
MICROVITEC
WHEN PERFORMANCE MATTERS
Microvitec Pic, Boiling Road,
Bradford BD4 7TU
Tel: 0274 390011
Fax: 0274 726866
CALL NOW ON 0274 390011 FOR YOUR NEAREST DEALER
Live Music
Archive
Librivox
Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland
Museum of Art
Internet
Arcade
Console Living Room
Open Library
American
Libraries
TV News
Understanding
9/11